Be My Saving Grace
by danceisthewindowtoyoursoul
Summary: "Caterina 'Cat' Valentine was last seen leaving Jet Vroom Coffee around 10:45 pm on the night of April 30th. She's seventeen years old, around five feet tall, and has bright red hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information regarding her disappearance is urged to contact LAPD immediately." **Warning-could be potentially triggering to some** Cabbie romance, Cade/Rade(ish) friendship
1. Chapter 1

_Cat's POV_

"Hey." My best friend Jade stops, leaning up against the locker next to mine "You busy tonight?"

"Work." I remind her as I grab my precalculus textbook and shoving it into my backpack

"You're gonna make me hangout with Beck _again_?" She laughs "Damn."

"Don't sound so upset to get to hang out with your boyfriend on a Friday night." I roll my eyes

"When was the last time we had a girl's night though?"

"I dunno, Jade." I sigh, slipping my arms through the backpack straps and pulling it on "Next weekend, okay? I promise."

"Fine."

"Hello ladies." Beck smiles, approaching us and slinging an arm around Jade's shoulders "Happy weekend."

"Happy weekend." Jade smirks, standing on her tiptoes to give him a quick peck on the lips "Wanna catch a movie tonight?"

"Sure." He shrugs "But I thought you two were gonna do something."

"She's working again."

"Aw come on, Cat."

"Make fun of me all you want, but I'll be the one laughing when you all go broke in college and I'm living comfortably." I tease "Hey has anybody seen-"

My question is interrupted when someone wraps their arms around my waist from behind, lifting me up into the air and spinning me around in circles.

"Robbieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" I squeal, grinning as my boyfriend sets me down on the ground "Hi!"

"Hi." He greets me with a kiss "I missed you."

"I missed you too." I smile, even though it's only been an hour since I saw him last "I'll talk to you later, guys."

We say goodbye to Beck and Jade and start walking towards the parking lot hand-in-hand.

"Are you gonna stop by after work tonight?" Robbie asks as we approach our cars

"Maybe." I shrug "I'm closing tonight, it'll be late."

"You know I stay up crazy late on the weekends." He laughs, stopping and pulling me close to him

"Yeah, but it's not you I'm worried about." I laugh, kissing him quickly "I'm exhausted already and it's only three o'clock."

"Alright." He chuckles "Well, just let me know okay?"

"Kay." I smile "I'll text you?"

"Sounds good." He nods

We kiss goodbye and I continue walking down a few spaces to where my car is parked. I unlock it and open the back door, throwing my backpack in.

"Hey Cat?" He calls after me

"Yeah?" I respond, brushing a stray piece of hair out of my face as I open the door to the driver's seat

"I love you."

"I love you too." I call back, blowing him a kiss, then climb into my car

* * *

"No texting on the job." My co-worker teases

"Shut up, Nick." I roll my eyes "No one is going to come into Jet Vroom at 10:45 on a Friday night."

"Watch us get swamped with customers fifteen minutes before closing now, thanks Cat."

"Always a pleasure." I bow, setting my phone down on the counter "Do you need help?"

"Can you rinse out the blenders?" He asks

"Yeah sure." I shrug, walking over to the corner and grabbing the containers off the blender bases and tossing them into the sink "Don't forget to turn the coffee pots off."

"Why on earth would I forget to turn the coffee pots off?"

"I'm just teasing you, Nick." I smirk "Calm down."

"You know what?" He chuckles, pulling the keys to the coffee house off his belt and tossing them to me "I'll clean the blenders, you lock up."

"Gladly." I catch the keys

I separate them and grab the one that locks the front door. I switch off the neon 'OPEN' sign and lock the deadbolt on the door.

"Nick!" I call to catch his attention "Heads up."

I toss the keys back to him and start to remove my apron.

"Thaaank you." He catches them and clips them back to his belt "You can go home if you want, I've got it from here."

"You sure?" I ask

"Positive." He nods "Are you working tomorrow?"

"Nope, I'm off." I smile "See you Monday?"

"Monday." I nod

I grab my purse off one of the hooks in the back hallway and sling it over my shoulder. Using my shoulder to push the door open, I step out into the back alley behind Jet Vroom.

My car is parked on the main street about a block or so away. The back alley is too narrow for me to park back here, and parking anywhere in the vicinity of where you want it to be is basically impossible to find in downtown Los Angeles.

I reach into my purse and pull out my car keys, twirling them around in my fingers. I fumble them and they fall to the ground. When I bend down to grab them, I feel someone's arms reaching around my body, one around my waist and one around my mouth.

"Don't say a word." A voice hisses into my ear

Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. He's strategically placed his arm so no noise can escape my mouth.

"Cat?" Nick's voice fills the alleyway

The stranger drags me behind a nearby dumpster and pulls me to the ground.

"Cat are you still around?" Nick yells "You left your phone!"

"If you so much as say one fucking word..." The stranger whispers to me "...I will snap your fucking neck and kill you. Do you understand?"

I nod slowly, trying to hold in the tears I can feel forming in my eyes. Crying will only make this situation worse.

Last fall, Tori, Jade and I had taken a self-defense class down at the community center. The one thing the instructor had stressed over and over was that in the case that you ever were actually attacked, never let yourself be taken away from the scene of the attack.

" _If they get you to a secondary location_..." Her voice rings in my ears " _Then you're as good as dead_."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Nick turn and walk back inside the building, letting the door fall shut behind him.

"Get up." The man orders, pulling both of us to our feet, but not releasing me from his grip.

Think Cat, think. What can we do here?

"What do you want?" I try to say, but my words are muffled by his arm

"Don't fight it..." He warns "I don't want your money, or your cell phone, or anything like that. Everything will work out much better for you if you jus cooperate with me, nod if you understand."

I nod again.

He forces me back down to my knees and releases me from his grip. I don't have time to run, or even to scream before something hard hits the back of my head and I black out.


	2. Chapter 2

_Cat's POV_

When I come to, my head hurts like a bitch to say the least, the back of it specifically. Pain radiates to the front, spreading into my temples.

I try to reach my hand up to touch it and see if there's any blood, but I find that they're duct taped together, so are my ankles. My first instinct is to scream, but I can't. There's a rag or bandanna or something of the sort tied around my head so that I can't. The only sound coming out of my mouth is a muffled cry for help that no one can hear.

I sit up and lean against the wall, pulling my knees to my chest.

I'm in a moving vehicle, that much I can tell for sure. It's dimly lit, so I can't really tell how big it is, but I'm guessing it's some sort of van. No other vehicles that I know of have this kind of cargo space.

I have no idea who my kidnapper is, I didn't even see his face, only his hands. All I know is that he's taller than me, which isn't shocking, almost everybody is, and that he's Caucasian.

Why me? What does he want with me? What did I do?

The van comes to an abrupt stop and I slide to the back of the van, hitting the wall. My shoulder absorbs most of the shock, but it still hurts.

I'm frightened, absolutely terrified. Who knows what's waiting for me on the other side of those doors?

Maybe I'm actually being rescued, and when those doors open I'll be in my driveway and my parents will be waiting for me.

But then why would I be bound and gagged in the back of a van? Whatever is waiting for me outside this van, it isn't good news.

A door on what I'm guessing is the side of the van opens and fills the small space with light. I've been in the dark for so long it hurts to open my eyes and look into it for too long, but I can see a shadow, a silhouette of a man.

My kidnapper.

"Get her out of there." A voice says "You know what to do."

Two hands reach forward and grab my ankles. They pull me onto my back and start dragging me towards them.

This is it, this is my chance. If I'm going to get away, I have to do it now.

The man pulls me to my feet and wraps his arms around me. I thrash and try to wriggle myself free, but because my wrists and ankles are bound, I can do nothing more.

"Don't exhaust yourself, sweetheart." He chuckles "You're gonna need your energy."

I attempt to scream again, but I can't. It's just another weak, muffled cry.

I find myself being thrown over the man's shoulder. I catch a quick glimpse of the profile of his face. He's a brunette, clean shaven, but he doesn't look familiar at all.

I'm carried immediately into a house. There's another man behind the one who's carrying me. He's about six foot, maybe a little shorter. A brunette, like the other man, also clean shaven. He's dressed nicely, jeans and a nice shirt. His eyes meet mine, and a smirk forms on his lips.

"She's terrified, I can see it in her eyes." He says

"Aren't they all?" The other man chuckles

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

They carry me through a kitchen and down another hallway. I don't understand, everything looks so normal...

"Just throw her downstairs. We've got to get going."

He opens a door in the hallway with the free hand that isn't being used to support me. He sets me down on my feet and gives me a slight nudge. It's mot much, but it's enough to set me off balance and tumbling down a flight of stairs. There's another door at the bottom, I fall hard against it.

The man descends the stairs after me, unlocks the door, pushed it open, then kicks me inside.

"Welcome home..." He chuckles, before slamming the door

I hear a lock click, and I know I'm stuck. At least for the time being.

Every part of my body aches now from the fall I just took. I think my wrist is sprained, my arm is possibly broken.

"Oh no..." A voice whispers

"Is she awake?" Another one asks

"I don't know..." The first voice responds "C'mon, she needs help."

My eyes grow wide with fear.

Are these people on their side? Or are they victims like me?

Someone appears in front of me. She's young, but her eyes look like they've seen beyond their years. They're dull, and her face is bruised. So is her collarbone. I'm guessing other places are as well, but I can't see any. She's so thin...

I tense up, trying to move away.

"Shhh..." She whispers, reaching forward and untying the cloth gagging my mouth "We're not the enemy, we're just like you. What's your name?"

"Cat." I choke, trying to adjust my jaw to not being stuck in the position it had previously been stuck in

"Hi Cat..." She smiles "I'm Lena. This is Kate."

"Hi..."

"Don't be afraid of us, we won't hurt you." Lena assures me "Here. Let's get you out of that..."

She starts pulling at the duct tape keeping my wrists and ankles bound.

"Careful..." Kate warns "That shit hurts like a bitch when you rip it off."

"I know what to do." Lena rolls her eyes "There. Better?"

"Yeah..." I nod, rolling out my newly freed wrists "Thank you..."

We're in what appears to be an unfinished basement. A single light bulb hangs from the ceiling, illuminating the space. There's four mattresses pushed up against one wall, and two doors on the adjacent one.

"What hurts?" Lena asks

"Lena. Let her breathe."

"Everything..." I sigh "Everything hurts. They threw me down the stairs."

"Come sit over here." Lena frowns, nodding towards the mattresses "We've got a lot to tell you."


	3. Chapter 3

_Cat's POV_

Lena helps me to my feet and guides me over to the mattresses over by the wall

"This one can be yours." She tells me as I sit down

"Where are we?" I ask "What is this place?"

"Hell." Kate scoffs, sitting down on the mattress next to mine "Population: Us."

"Kate..." Lena sighs

"What? You want me to sugar coat it for her? That won't do her any good."

"Who were those men upstairs?" I turn back to Lena "What do they want with us?"

"Their names are Mark and Cole..." She tells me "I don't know their last name, they're brothers though. That much we do know."

"They're _sick_ fucks, that's what they are." Kate shakes her head

"What do they want with us?"

"You ask a lot of questions..."

"Kate..." Lena rolls her eyes "Give her a break, she's been through a lot tonight."

"Like we haven't been through a lot in the time we've been here?" Kate snaps

"You're Katie Tyler..." I gasp "The girl from Northridge who went missing last year..."

I recognize her face from the news. She was all anybody seemed to talk about for close to three months, but after that...everything surrounding her disappearance just seemed to die down and eventually people just forgot...

"Congratu-fucking-lations." Kate laughs "You found me."

"You've been here all this time?"

"574 days." She nods

"Oh shit..." I cry

I'm going to be stuck here for just as long, maybe longer, maybe forever. I'll never see my parents again, or my friends, or Robbie...

"We can't give up hope..." Lena assures me "People are going to be looking for you. We just have to hope that Mark and Cole left something behind that will lead them here."

"Oh shut up, Lena." Kate snaps "How long have you been here again?"

"623 days..." She sighs

"Exactly, close to two years and no one found you! No one has found me! How is she going to be any different?"

"There's another mattress..." I say "Is there another girl...?"

"There used to be." Kate sighs "Her name was Emma..."

"Did she escape?"

"No." Kate shakes her head "She died...not too long ago actually. They said they'd replace her, I guess that's why _you're_ here."

"Died?" I gasp "They killed her?"

"Not intentionally." Lena tells me "One of their...sessions...got too violent and she ended up bleeding out..."

"She died in my arms..." Kate says flatly, her expression suddenly blank "And then Mark came down here and drug her body out...she was gone just like that."

"What do you mean by session?" I ask

"See that door?" Lena turns to the adjacent wall "The one on the left?"

"Yeah..."

"Nothing good ever happens in there..."

* * *

 _Robbie's POV_

 _"There's a tear in my heart..._ " I sing along to the music streaming from my cell phone into my headphones, tapping my pencil to the beat as I try to focus on my homework

Normally, I wouldn't be doing homework at eleven-thirty on a Saturday morning, but Cat isn't awake yet, and I'd hate to wake her. She worked late last night.

Tonight, however, she's all mine. I'm taking her for a nice dinner to celebrate our seven month anniversary.

Suddenly, my music is interrupted and my familiar marimba ringtone fills my ears. I unplug my headphones and pull them off my head, answering the phone an bringing it to my ear.

"Hello?" I answer

"Robbie?"

"Mrs. Valentine?"

"Hi Robbie...you wouldn't by chance be with Cat, would you?" She asks

"No, I haven't heard from her since last night..." I tell her "Why? Is something wrong?"

"She didn't come home last night. She said there was a strong possibility that she would head over to your house after work last night, but she hasn't come home yet."

"Oh..." Is all I can manage to say

That's so unlike Cat.

"Yes." She agrees "I called Jet Vroom and they said she clocked out just before eleven last night, but that she forgot her phone. We have no way of getting a hold of her."

"Well maybe she went to Jade's..." I suggest "I know the two of them have been wanting to get together and hang out for a while. Maybe she went over there."

"They're next on my list of people to call..." She sighs "Please promise you'll call if you hear anything."

"Absolutely, Mrs. Valentine." I nod "I'll call a few of our other friends and see if they know anything as well."

"Thank you, Robbie."

"No problem."

I hang up my cell phone and immediately redial another number, Andre's this time. He answers after three rings.

"Hey man." He answers "What's up?"

"Hey." I greet him "Were you with Tori last night?"

"You bet I was." He chuckles "Why?"

"Did Cat ever show up?" I ask

"Uh no...she didn't. But I don't know if they did anything after I dropped her off."

"Well what time did you drop her off?"

"I dunno..." He hesitates "Around midnight, that's her curfew. Why? Rob, what's going on?"

"Just..." I sigh "Let me know if you hear from Cat, okay?"

"Wait, Rob-"

I hang the phone up again, shoving it into my back pocket this time.

I slam my textbook closed and shove it into my backpack, followed by my notebook and pencil.

It's not like Cat to not come home at night without telling anyone where she was going. It's not like Cat to leave her cell phone at work and not go back for it. It's not like Cat to just disappear like this, to not call her parents when something goes wrong.

Something is wrong, I can feel it.

I grab my sweatshirt off the back off my desk chair, swipe my keys off of my bedside table and head downstairs, pulling my sweatshirt on as I go.

"Mom?" I call "Dad?"

There's no response, they must not be home. No need to tell them I'm going out then.

I step out the front door and lock it behind me and job down the front walk to my car.

I'll spend all day driving around if I have to, I'm going to find my girlfriend.


	4. Chapter 4

_Robbie's POV_

I pull into Jade's driveway around 4:30 in the afternoon. I tap the horn twice to let her know that I'm here.

I've driven to every park, every coffee house, every place I've ever taken Cat on a date, and there's no sign of her anywhere. No one has seen her or heard from her.

Jade taps on the passenger side window, grabbing my attention. I unlock the door and she climbs in, tossing her purse on the floor and pulling her seatbelt across her chest.

"Hey." I nod to her

"Hey..."

I put the car in reverse and back out of the driveway, putting the car back in gear and speeding off down the street.

"Where have you checked?" She asks

"Every park, every coffee house, every place we've ever gone on a date..." I sigh "Nobody has seen her or heard from her."

"Did you go and talk to Nick?"

"Who the hell is Nick?" I ask, feeling suddenly jealous

"Calm the fuck down." She rolls her eyes "Nick is the guy who was working with her last night, did you go and talk to him?"

"Well no, I don't know where he lives." I shrug

"Drive to the Jet Vroom where she works." Jade orders "Let's see if he's working."

* * *

Jet Vroom isn't busy when we walk in. There's two customers sitting at separate tables, one is reading a book, the other is infatuated by something on his laptop.

"Can I help you?" The boy behind the counter asks

"Are you Nick?"

"Yeah...?" He looks at me questionably "Do I know you?"

"I'm Robbie." I tell him "Robbie Shapiro, Cat's boyfriend?"

"Oh, yeah okay." He nods, a smile crossing his face "I recognize you from the lock screen."

He reaches under the counter and pulls out Cat's pink PearPhone. He hits the home button and it lights up. Sure enough, the picture displayed on the lock screen was taken it maybe a week or two old. She's grinning with her eyes closed, I'm kissing her on the cheek. She filtered it to be black and white.

"She hasn't come back for it yet?" I give him a questionable look

"Nope." He shakes his head "I ran out after her last night to give it back, but she was already gone. Wherever she was headed last night she sure was in a hurry."

"She was gonna go to your place, right?" Jade clarifies

"Yeah..." I nod "She was supposed to call me and let me know when she was on her way over. But she never did, so I figured she just went home..."

"We've gotta go talk to her parents..." Jade says, her voice full of fear

"Yeah." I nod in agreement "Yeah we do."

* * *

 _Cat's POV_

I lay on my back, wide awake and staring at the ceiling. I'm afraid of what will happen to me if I fall asleep. From the look of Kate and Lena, I know those men aren't kind. They're both bruised all over, Kate has cuts all over her face, they both look like they weigh less than I do.

The only sound I can hear is that of my fellow detainees, the sound of their breathing as they sleep.

I don't know how they can sleep. Then again, if they've really been here as long as they say they have, I guess they're used to it by now.

 _574 days._

 _623 days._

I guess this is technically day two for me, it has to be morning by now, they got me here just before midnight.

This isn't something I want to get used to. I don't ever want to be comfortable sleeping on this shitty, lumpy mattress down here in this shoebox of a basement. I'll go crazy if those men upstairs don't kill me first.

Do they want to kill me? Lena said I don't want to know what's behind the door on the adjacent wall. Is it like some kind of torture chamber?

My head starts racing in a million different directions, all the terrible things that could possibly happen down here.

I could be beaten, raped, dismembered...killed. I'll never graduate high school, I'll never get the chance to go to NYU, I'll never see Robbie again.

I'll never get to tell him that I love him, I'll never taste his lips again, or smell his cologne on his neck when we're cuddling and watching movies, we'll never get to have our first time together...

My breathing increases and my heart feels like it's about to jump right out of my chest and land on the cement floor next to me. I pull my arms up in front of my face, digging my fingernails into my scalp, a sob escaping my mouth and wracking my entire body.

I close my eyes tight, hoping that when I open them again I'll be in my bedroom or somewhere else safe.

I feel someone kneel on the mattress next to me, I open my eyes to find that it's Lena.

"Shit..." I cry, shaking "Shit it's real..."

"It's okay, Cat..." Lena whispers

"I wanna go home..."

"I know..." She frowns "I know you do...I want to too."

"I wanna go now..."

"What's going on?" I hear Kate ask

"She's freaking out." Lena tells her "Cat? Don't worry, okay? People are looking for you, I'm sure the police will find us soon..."

"Lena don't lie to her."

"Kate don't scare her." Lena mimics her tone

"I'm okay..." I sniff, sitting up and using my hand to wipe my face off "I'm fine, go back to sleep."

"No use in going back to sleep now." Kate sighs "I'm sure it's morning by now, might as well stay up and see what the day has in store for us. Breakfast should be coming soon anyways."

"Breakfast?"

"Yeah." She chuckles "They do feed us, they've gotta keep us alive somehow."

"It's not a lot." Lena adds "And it's not exactly gourmet, but it's something."

A slat in the door leading to the stairway opens and three oranges fly through, as if our captors were standing on the other side of the door waiting for their cue.

"I didn't notice that before..." I sigh, still trying to calm down from my episode

"The door? Or the opening?' Kate asks, standing up and walking over to retrieve the fruit

"The opening."

"That's how they deliverer things to us without opening the door." Lena explains "They're afraid we might try to run."

"Wonder why..." Kate says sarcastically "Heads up!"

She tosses an orange to Lena, and then one to me.

"Eat the whole thing." She advises me "That's all you'll get until dinner."


	5. Chapter 5

_Cat's POV_

I've always hated oranges. Not the flavor, just the fruit itself. I like orange juice, but something about the consistency of the fruit makes me want to avoid it.

But Kate and Lena said this was the only food they'll give us all day, and I haven't eaten since I got here. I couldn't afford to be picky, so I choked down the whole orange, in pieces of course.

Behind the second door, the one next to the door that Lena and Kate have warned me about is a bathroom. It has a toilet and a small sink, but nothing else, not even a mirror or hand towels. Scraps of fabric are wadded on the floor in the corner of the small room, they look like they could be scraps of old clothes. Maybe they had belonged to Lena or Kate at some point, maybe their friend Emma.

Friend isn't the right word to use. They had been held captive together, of course they had to have been close, they had to have shared some sort of bond. I guess they were friends, but under the wrong circumstances.

I'm starting to become friends with Kate and Lena the same way.

I turn on the sink and a small stream of water begins to trickle out. Of course, I doubt that making sure their prisoners have the best water pressure isn't exactly on the top of my captors to-do list.

After running my hands under the faucet for a few seconds, and washing the sticky juices from the orange off, I dry them on my shirt and walk back into the main room with the mattresses. It's hard to keep my eyes open, and I stumble a bit as I walk. I didn't sleep at all last night, and I had woken up at five for school the previous morning, I'm tired. I'm exhausted.

Kate and Lena are talking quietly to each other, so I head back to the mattress where I slept last night and sit down.

"You can talk to us, you know." Kate tells me "We won't bite you."

"Sorry...I guess I'm still trying to figure out what to make of all of this..."

"How's your head?" Kate asks "Still hurting?"

"Yeah." I nod

"How bad?"

"I dunno..." I shrug

"I'll check..." Kate sighs, crawling over and kneeling in front of me "Look here, okay?"

I stare straight ahead, trying my best to focus on the center of her forehead. Trying to focus on one specific point only makes my headache worse.

"Her pupils are dilated." She says to Lena "Do you feel tired at all?"

I nod.

"You have a concussion for sure."

"Well, I didn't sleep at all last night..." I try to defend myself "I was too paranoid and scared."

"Yes, but that was after they hit you on the back of the head, shoved you into a van, and then threw you down a slight of stairs. You're pupils are dilated, you're dazed, you're fatigued. It's a concussion. Believe me, I'm more than familiar." Kate smirks "Let me see your wrist."

I hold it out for her to examine. She handles it gently, looking for signs that something is wrong. She squeezes it wrong, causing pain. I wince and pull my hand away from her.

"I take it that hurt?" She gives me a questionable look

"Yeah." I admit, holding my hand to my chest

"Well it's just bruised, there's not any swelling or anything like that. I don't think it's sprained."

I don't know what to say, so I don't say anything. I just push myself back against the wall, closing my eyes.

"So what happens now?" I ask, opening my eyes again to look at them

"We wait." Lena shrugs

"For what?"

Lena and Kate exchange a look, and Kate shakes her head.

"We'll cross that bridge when the time comes."

"Okay." I sigh "I don't suppose there's any access to any pain killers down here, is there?"

"I'm afraid not." Lena tells me

"Alright."

I'm being held captive, terrified, injured, and now paranoid from Lena and Kate's lack of elaboration on what exactly these two men upstairs want from us. My head can think of a million different scenarios. The one that makes the most sense, however, isn't one I care to explore.

* * *

 _Robbie's POV_

"So they just won't do anything?" I ask

"The police say she has to be missing for forty-eight hours before they can open a missing persons case..." Mr. Valentine sighs, leaning against the counter "It's protocol, apparently."

Jade and I sit in chairs at the Valentine's kitchen. Mr. Valentine had just gotten off the phone with the police department, his wife standing next to him.

"That's bullshit." Jade scoffs "Something awful could happen to her by then."

She doesn't elaborate, but we're all thinking the same thing.

 _Severe injury. Rape. Murder._

All awful things, the list goes on and on.

"We're better off cooperating with them." Mr. Valentine advises us "Maybe then they'll be more cooperative with us come tomorrow evening when the forty-eight hours are up."

"Well what if you try talking to Tori's dad?" I suggest "Detective Vega? Maybe he could help out."

"Let's save our favors." Mrs. Valentine says "There's still a chance she could come home, isn't there?"

"Cat wouldn't just run away." I sigh "I mean, I know in these situations, it's best to stay positive, but this is so unlike her. I seriously think something might've happened to her."

"I'm with Robbie." Jade agrees "We have to do something."

"You two mean the world to Cat, you know that." Mr. Valentine says "And I know the fact that you're both so concerned would mean even more, but it's in her best interest if we cooperate and do things the police's way. Understand?"

"Yes Mr. Valentine." Jade and I both say


	6. Chapter 6

_Cat's POV_

"So...how old are you?" Kate asks

I snap out of the fog I had fallen into and turn to face her.

"What? Me?"

"Yeah, you." She chuckles

"I'm seventeen..." I sigh

"Junior or a senior?"

"Junior." I say, picking at the dark blue nail polish on my fingers "What about you?"

"Depends on what the date was when you came in here." She shrugs

"I thought you were keeping track of the number of days you had been down here?"

"I have been...but it gets hard to keep track of the dates."

"It was..." I strain to think "April 30th...yeah, it was. Because that would make today May 1st."

"What's so special about May 1st?"

"It's my eight month..." I sigh "I won't bore you with the details, you probably don't want to hear them...so how old does that make you?"

She cranes her neck back, eyes closed, I can tell she's doing the math in her head.

"I guess that makes me nineteen..." She shrugs "Time sure does fly."

"What about Lena?" I nod to the other girl, asleep on the mattress between the two of ours

"I think she's around the same age, maybe a couple months younger or older." She shrugs "I can't remember."

So they were both around my age when Mark and Cole took them too.

I don't know how long it's been since we got the oranges, but it has to have been a few hours at least. My stomach hurts because it's empty, it was empty basically all night. The orange helped a little, but I was starving and digested it too quickly. Now I'm starving again.

The doorknob on the door that leads to the stairs starts moving, a rustling sound coming from the other side of it.

"Shit!" Kate exclaims, leaning over and shaking Lena awake "Lena! Wake up, they're coming down!"

"The guys who...?" I ask

"Yeah." Kate nods as Lena sits up

The door opens and two men step through. I recognize one of them, he's the man who was trailing behind when I was thrown down the stairs. The other one doesn't seem so familiar, he must've been the one who was carrying me.

"Good afternoon, ladies." The familiar one grins

"Cole." Lena says flatly

So the familiar one is Cole. I recognize his voice, he's the one who grabbed me in the alley.

"Don't be so bitter, Lena." Cole smirks "I brought you a new friend last night! What's you're name again?"

"Cat..." I whisper, trying to avoid eye contact

"Look at him when you talk." The other man orders, who is presumably Mark by default

"Calm down, Mark..." Cole sighs "She's scared, they usually all are when they first come to stay."

They look like they could almost be identical twins, but Mark looks like he's aged a little more.

"Well maybe you can help her relax a bit, little brother." Mark smirks "Go ahead, you're the one who nabbed her. You can take her first."

"Come on." Cole walks over to me and grabs my arm, pulling me to my feet

My head rushes, and I stumble a little bit, probably due to the concussion.

"This way..." He pulls me along with him, heading towards the door that Lena and Kate had been warning me about

I try to stop walking, but he's stronger than me and continues dragging me along.

"It's going to be fine Cat!" Kate tries to assure me

"Shut up, bitch!" Mark orders "Don't say another word."

Cole opens the door and shoves me inside. I fall to the floor as he switches on a light.

It's brighter than the single bulb hanging from the ceiling in the other room, and I have to squint, it hurts my eyes. Cole closes the door behind him and locks it with a key from a key ring he had pulled from his pocket.

The room has a bed in the far corner of it, and when I lay eyes on it my heart drops into my stomach. Next to the bed there's a nightstand with two drawers. I watch Cole as he walks over to it and pulls another key from the ring in his pocket, opening the top drawer and throwing things onto the bed.

He grabs on of the items and starts walking over towards me. Terrified, I start pushing myself backwards, scampering away from him as I try to escape. But I end up backing myself up against a wall, and I'm trapped.

"You're stuck in here, baby." He chuckles, grabbing my arm

I try to pull away, but his grip is like iron and I can't break away. At least not before he secures a handcuff around my left wrist. He bends down and grabs me, picking me up and throwing me onto the bed. Using one arm, he keeps me pinned down while he uses his free hand to attach the other cuff to a rail on the headboard behind my head.

"Stop..." I beg "Please don't do this."

"It's best if you just cooperate." He smirks

He straddles my waist, picking up another set of handcuffs and repeating the process on my other wrist. All I have left to defend myself are my legs, and as long as Cole is sitting on top of me, there's too much weight on top of them for me to utilize them.

"It's in your best interest to just let this happen, baby." He says, grabbing a switchblade out of his pocket "There's nothing you can do to stop me, or my brother."

"What...what do you want?" I cry

"I'm just a man..." He shrugs "with needs that need to be satisfied. That's why you and your friends outside are here. To help me satisfy those needs, and the needs of my brother."

He grabs the waistband of my jeans and tugs it upwards, using the knife to cut them off my body. He tosses the scraps of denim to the floor, then begins cutting away at my white Jet Vroom polo shirt I'm still wearing.

"Only virgins wear white, you little slut." He shakes his head

There's nothing more I can do, I can't stop him. He strips out of his own clothes, laying down on top of me. He's running his hands all over my body, down my back and legs. He tries to kiss my neck but I jerk my head back and forth to keep him away, so he moves lower.

The longer he goes on, the more he does, the harder I cry. He doesn't have the right to be doing this to me, to be touching me like this. I wanted my first time to be romantic, careful and gentle, with someone that I loved.

I wanted it to be with Robbie.

Is this what Lena and Kate have been enduring for almost a year and a half? How have they made it?

How am _I_ going to make it?


	7. Chapter 7

_Cat's POV_

When Cole finishes, he kisses my lips then stands up, collecting his clothes off of the floor and dressing himself again.

"Maybe one day we'll get to the point where you don't need to be handcuffed anymore." He sighs "But until then, I'm afraid they're necessary."

I turn my head away, unable to look at him.

"Don't want to talk?" He chuckles "That's normal..."

I hear him open one of the drawers in the nightstand a few seconds later I feel the handcuffs on my wrist loosening and then falling off, one at a time.

"Here." He drops a bag on my bare stomach "There's some new clothes in there. Just try to be a little more cooperative next time, I'd hate to have to waste any more money buying more clothes for you."

I still refuse to say anything. I can't.

"Fine then." He scoffs "I'll leave the door open for you then, but don't think playing the victim here will get you any more sympathy the next time."

I hear him fumbling with his keys to unlock the door, it creaks open, and he's gone.

I pull my arms down from above my head, there's bruises on my wrists from where the handcuffs were. He made them too tight.

Inside the bag, there's a black bra and underwear set, a pair of grey sweatpants, and a loose-fitting army green tank top.

My body feels sore when I sit up, and I struggle to get myself dressed, but I manage. I'm hesitant to walk back into the main room, but I don't want Lena and Kate to think there's anything wrong.

Well there is something wrong, but this can't be helped.

I stand up and begin walking out of the bedroom, shaking with every step I take forward. I feel physically sick with guilt.

When I reach the doorway, I have to stop, unable to continue forward on my own. As I lean up against the doorframe, I make eye contact with Lena.

"Oh Cat..." She sighs, making her way over to me and wrapping me up in a hug

I begin crying again, a few tears turning slowly into a full out sob.

She helps me walk back over to my mattress, and I collapse onto it, still shaking from my sobs. Lena sits down next to me, and I feel pressure on the mattress next to my head. I look up and see that Kate is sitting with me too.

"Why...didn't you tell...me?" I ask, tears running down my face and staining the mattress

"We didn't want to scare you shitless..." Kate frowns "But I think we fucked up..."

"Yeah..." I sniff "A little."

"How do you guys take that from them?"

"It gets easier..." Lena assures me "I know that sounds awful, but it's the truth. The more it happens the more you get used to it."

"You're lucky you got Cole the first time..." Kate tells me "Mark isn't as nice."

"Is this what my life is going to be like now?" I cry "I'm just going to be their fucktoy until one day it just kills me?"

Lena and Kate don't say anything, just exchange a worried glance.

"I'll go grab what's left of her clothes..." Kate sighs, standing up and walking away

"Why do you need my clothes?" I ask

"We don't have any hand towels in the bathroom." Lena explains "We use the scraps of the clothes they cut off of us so we at least have something to use."

"Here." Kate reappears with a blanket off the bed in the other room

She covers me up with the blanket and brushes a strand of hair our of my face.

"Go ahead and get some rest, you've been through a lot." She tells me "We'll wake you up when they throw dinner down."

"Thanks for helping me..." I choke

"We're all each other have." Lena says "We've gotta stick together, it was the least we could do."

* * *

 _Robbie's POV_

"Where were you on the night of April 30th?" The detective sitting across the table from me asks

"I was at my house, playing video games in my basement." I tell him "I was home all night, I never left."

"And what was the last contact you had with Caterina Valentine?"

"She texted me around 10:30 and told me she was tired. You can check my phone records." I explain "Look, with all due respect sir, this is pointless. I would never do anything to hurt Cat, I love her."

"I know, kid." He chuckles "This is strictly protocol, you're not even on our radar right now."

I don't know why he's laughing, this is a serious matter. My girlfriend is missing and she could be being held captive, she could be dead.

"Anything else I can help you with?" I ask

"No." He shakes his head "You're free to go."

"Thank you." I sigh, standing up and exiting the briefing room

Thankfully, the police were able to get the missing persons investigation on Cat started right away, Tori's father made sure of that. However, Jade and I had been the first ones called in for questioning.

I shove my hands in my pockets and start making my way down the hallway towards the lobby, heading mainly for the coffee maker. I grab a paper cup off the table and begin pouring myself a generous amount.

"Hey." Jade appears next to me "They set you free?"

"Something like that." I chuckle, taking a sip "Did they tell you it was strictly protocol?"

"Yup." She nods "They're crazy to think we'd try to hurt her."

"Strictly protocol." I repeat "I just hope that someone they bring in is able to give them something useful, I'm going to go crazy if something happens to her."

"Did Detective Vega tell you about the search party they're going to send out tomorrow?" Jade asks me "They need volunteers to search some of the rural area outside of town."

"We have school." I remind her

"Get called out." She says like it's incredibly obvious "Look, if Cat is still missing, its not because she went missing because she wanted to. Someone _took_ her. Someone might be trying to _hurt_ her, or maybe already has. Don't you want to do something to help if you can?"

"I'd do anything." I tell her "I'll get called out. Get me the details, I'll be there."


	8. Chapter 8

_Robbie's POV_

"They couldn't have picked a more obnoxious color if they tried." Tori rolls her eyes

"It's just so they can keep an eye on all the volunteers at once." Andre assures her, rubbing her back "Kinda hard to lose us in shirts this bright?"

"But why yellow?" She sighs "Pink? Orange? Bright blue?"

I have to agree, LAPD doesn't have the best fashion sense. Everyone assisting with the search party was issued a bright yellow t-shirt that has 'LAPD VOULENTEER" on the back in big, bolded letters.

Andre, Beck and Tori also volunteered to skip school with Jade and I and help the police look for Cat. There's a team of uniformed officers here as well as two K-9 units to assist with the search. They keep telling us that there's not a huge chance we'll actually find anything, there's no leads at the moment.

However, when the police went to check the Jet Vroom security tapes, there was nothing for them to look at. The picture cut off around 9:45 pm, presumably when someone cut the wires. So they have no footage from the storefront, or the back alley. That information basically helps the police narrow this down to a kidnapping, not a runaway situation.

I could've told them that, Cat would've never runaway. She had too much going for her here. Someone took that from her, and they better hope I never get my hands on them.

So why are we searching? I don't know. Well actually, I do know. We're looking for a body. So I'm praying we don't find anything.

When we find Cat, I swear to god I'm going to hold onto her forever and never let go. I can only imagine the things that sick fuck is probably doing to her right now, I'll do whatever it takes to get her back, safe and sound.

 _I love her._

Jade loves her too, but in a different way than I do. The two of them have been best friends since they were seven years old, and it's not hard to tell that it's taking a toll on her. All day she's been attached to Beck's side, obviously upset and bothered. But who could blame her?

"You five!" An officer gestures to my friends and I "Head out with Officer Murray and Fletch."

"This way." An officer, presumably Officer Murray, with a German Shepard on a leash, motions for us to follow him

"So what are we looking for exactly?" Beck asks, walking hand-in-hand with Jade "I mean, it's not like she'll come skipping out of nowhere."

"Well it _is_ Cat." Andre shrugs

"Shut up, Andre." I snap

I guess the Jade isn't the only one letting this get to her.

"We're just looking for anything out of the ordinary that might give us some kind of clue that can help us find your friend Cat." Officer Murray says "So fan out, but don't stray to far from the group. If you _do_ find something, don't touch it without calling me over first."

We all nod in agreement, then slowly we start walking further and further apart from each other. Beck with Jade, Tori with Andre, Officer Murray with his dog, and I trail behind, walking by myself.

"Hey kid." Officer Murray stops "Come on, keep up. We can't have anyone falling behind."

"Sorry." I apologize, picking up my pace a bit "I guess I was just letting my mind wander..."

"You must be the boyfriend." He sighs "It'll be okay kid, we'll find your girl."

But when will they find her?

And will they find her alive? Or will they be too late?

* * *

"Knock knock." My father stands in the doorway to my bedroom

"Hey." I turn over my shoulder to face him

"Hey." He nods "Mind if I come in."

"Sure." I shrug

I turn my desk chair around to face him and he comes in and takes a seat on my bed.

"Are you hungry?" He asks me "Your mom left a plate in the microwave for you, if you want it."

"I don't want to eat." I shake my head "I'm honestly not feeling that great."

"Rob..." He sighs "I know you're worried about Cat. I'm worried about Cat, your Mom is worried about Cat. But you gotta eat..."

"I can't stop thinking about her, Dad..." I admit "What if someone hurt her? What if she's out there somewhere hurt, or dying, or already dead? I love her, she's all I care about."

"She's a great girl, Robbie. Your Mom and I like her a lot. But-"

"But what, Dad?"

"But I don't think she'd approve of you starving yourself out of worry." He tells me "She wouldn't want you hurting yourself."

"I'm not hurting myself."

"You know what I mean, Robbie." He sighs "Come on, come downstairs and eat."

"Fine."

I follow him out of my room and downstairs into the kitchen.

"You got him to come out." My mother seems surprised "Good work."

"He guilted me into it." I roll my eyes, sitting down at the kitchen table

My mom starts the microwave and then comes and sits across from me.

"Robbie..." She reaches out and touches my hand "Cat is a strong girl, she'll hold on until the police can get to her. They'll find her."

"Yeah but what if they don't find her in time?" I ask "What if they've already done something horrible and it's already too late?"

"Son, you can't think like that." My dad says "You've gotta remain positive for her sake."

"Your Dad is right." My mom agrees "And think about how big her smile is going to be when you finally get to see each other again."

The thought of Cat's smile makes me even sadder than I already am. It could light up a room, completely turn my day around when I was having the shittiest of days. I'd give anything to see that smile again. Not a photograph but to have her standing here in front of me, safe and sound, and unharmed.

"I don't want to go to school tomorrow..." I tell them both "I don't know if I can..."

My parents exchange a look, my dad shrugs and my mother lets out a long sigh.

"I guess a few days off won't hurt." My mom nods "But only a few, okay? You'll have to go back eventually."

"Yeah...I know..."


	9. Chapter 9

_Robbie's POV_

Guilty doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about this entire situation.

Maybe if I had been paying closer attention to my phone Friday night, I would've been able to hold a more in depth conversation with Cat, one that would've kept her more interested in her phone. If she had been paying closer attention to it, she would've noticed that she forgot it on the counter and gone back for it. Then whoever took her would've missed her by a few seconds. Or even if they didn't miss her, if they still took her, her phone would be on her somewhere and they'd be able to track the signal.

Maybe if I had taken a little extra time out of my night and offered to drive her to work, and then came back later to pick her up, she wouldn't have had to leave out the back door. She wouldn't have had to walk alone for a block or so. Or even if for some reason she did still happen to run into her kidnapper, she wouldn't have been alone, I would've been there to protect her.

Maybe I could've been more persuasive and tried to convince her to take off work and go out with Jade that night. Then she wouldn't have been alone either, and she would've been in an entirely different location and the entire situation would've been avoided completely.

I could go on and on and on. It's basically my fault that she's gone. At least that's how it appears right now, and probably how it will continue to appear until proven to be untrue. At least from my perspective.

Somehow, I convince my parents to call me out of school for the entire week. Monday night, that seemed like what seemed to be the best option. By Wednesday midday, however, I started to think it might not have been the wisest choice. All day, I'm alone with my thoughts, and no amount of video games, school work, or television can take my mind off of them.

Hell, television is the worst. Every channel worth watching in the middle of the day has a bulletin almost every hour on the hour, with Cat's school picture taking up almost the entire screen. The news stations are constantly reminding everyone in the area that if they have any information on the disappearance of Caterina "Cat" Valentine, they should 'call the Los Angeles Police Department immediately'.

The irony of the entire situation is that even though I'm seeing her face practically everywhere, I've never felt so distant from someone. And to be completely honest, the only person I want here with me, telling me that everything is going to be alright, is Cat.

This is the longest we've ever gone with out contact with each other, it's driving me insane. I miss her smile, her laugh, the way she would bat her eyes at me when she wanted something. Everything about her is perfect, I didn't deserve to have her, but somehow I got her. And now I might've lost her.

I might've only ever cried three times in my entire teenage life. But I've cried alone in my bedroom every day this week since Cat has gone missing.

I think it's safe to say this is tearing me apart.

Around 1:15 on Wednesday afternoon, just as I'm putting a bowl of leftover stir-fry from the previous night into the microwave to have for lunch, my phone starts to vibrate, signaling a phone call. Every time my phone rings now, every part of me prays that it's going to be an unknown number, that Cat finally was able to find a phone and call me. So I can come rescue her from the hands of the sick bastard that took her.

Much to my disappointment, however, it's Jade's caller ID popping up on the screen, not an unknown one.

"Hey." I answer "What's up?"

"I take it you didn't go back to school today if you're answering my call..." She says

"No not today." I tell her "And I take it you didn't either if you're calling me in the middle of the day."

"No not today." She repeats back to me "I was actually at Cat's house, with her parents."

"Oh..." I sigh

"Don't be offended, they didn't reach out to me, or invite me over or anything." She assures me "I just kinda showed up, I just felt like I needed to go...they talked to the police this morning...are you home?"

"Yeah...I am." I glance towards the front door "The door is unlocked, just walk right in."

* * *

"Do you want some coffee or something?" I ask when Jade enters my kitchen "I still have some left from earlier."

"No thanks." She sighs, sitting down at my kitchen table "I stopped at Inside-Out Burger and got some on the way."

"Inside-Out Burger coffee is shit." I chuckle, sitting down in the chair next to her

"Yeah I know it is, but I can't bring myself to go to Jet Vroom." She tells me

"I know." I agree "I can't either...you sounded scared on the phone, is everything okay?"

"I don't know if 'scared' is the right word, maybe more emotionally overwhelmed." Jade admits "The Valentine's spoke to the police this morning, there's new information in Cat's case."

"What kind of information?" I ask

"Well you know how the Jet Vroom cameras had their lines cut?"

"Sure." I nod "Whoever took Cat had planned it out ahead of time."

"Yeah well the idiot didn't think that far ahead." She smirks "The cameras in the boutique across the street from the entrance to the alley were working just fine, one of them faces the street."

"Did they catch anything?"

Suddenly I feel incredibly hopeful.

"You can't see the abduction actually take place." She tells me "But at 10:52 pm that night, there's footage of a white paneled van pulling out of the alley."

"Like a stalker van?"

"Yes, that kind of van." Jade rolls her eyes "They have a partial plate identification. Hopefully they'll be able to run it through the DMV's database and identify the owner."

"And the guy who has Cat."

"And the guy who has Cat." She repeats

"Well how long will that take?"

"Anywhere from 24-48 hours."

"So we could have Cat back by Friday night?"

"Yeah..." She grins "We could."

Maybe there is some good in the world.


	10. Chapter 10

_Cat's POV_

I've learned that my captors operate on a schedule, one that seems to never falter.

Then again I've only been here for five days, six if you count Friday night.

Once a day, Cole and Mark take turns taking us into the bedroom. After Cole took his turn with me a few nights ago, the next day, it was Mark's turn with Kate, and then the next day Cole's with Lena and so on and so on. If they come down between the oranges or bananas they give us for breakfast and the disgusting sandwiches they give us for dinner, then it's the weekend and they're not at work. If they come down after dinner, then it's a weeknight.

And if I'm doing my math correctly, today is Wednesday. It will be Thursday in a matter of hours.

Kate was right, Mark makes Cole look like a saint. He held me at knifepoint and forced me to take my clothes off. Before I knew it my hands were bound behind my back and I was blindfolded. He threw me onto the bed and forced a rag into my mouth so I couldn't scream when he started hitting me. I don't know if he used a whip or a belt but whatever it was, after who knows how many hits it started cutting into my skin and made me bleed. I have cuts all over my back and stomach now, and a bruise across my cheek when he missed and accidentally struck my face instead.

Or maybe it wasn't an accident and he hit me there on purpose. Who knows? He's a sick and disgusting little fuck. Him _and_ his brother.

When he was finished, Mark didn't stay and talk to me like Cole did. He just untied me and left me there, terrified and bleeding.

Based on this, I'm assuming Mark is the one who got too rough with Emma and ended up killing her.

I was scared to put my clothes back on, afraid to bleed through them and ruin them. But I didn't want to stay in that bed any longer. It makes me feel guilty, dirty, and disgusting. It's gross.

But now, I'm laying on my stomach on my mattress while Lena uses a scrap of one of our old pieces of clothing as a washcloth to clean my cuts off.

"It looks like he used the whip..." Kate observes

"Yeah." Lena agrees "The belt doesn't usually cut so deep."

"They're deep?" I ask

"Well deeper than a belt would've cut."

"Fantastic." I sigh "And as we speak the blood coming from the cuts in my stomach is seeping through my shirt and ruining my mattress."

"The mattress was ruined when you got here, Cat. And stop moving around, I have to get this cleaned off or it's going to get infected."

Well maybe if the cuts get infected Mark and Cole will have no choice but to bring me to a hospital or a doctor's office or something.

Yeah right, they'd probably just let me die like Emma did.

I look down at my wrists, folded under my chin for support while I'm laying down. They're still bruised from Cole's handcuffs, and now they're rubbed raw from whatever material Mark used to bind them behind my back. The one that I landed on when I was thrown down the stairs is still black and blue and purple. An ugly reminder that Mark and Cole are calling the shots and there's nothing that the three of us down here can do about it.

* * *

 _"Help!" I scream, running through what I can only describe is a black void "Help! Somebody help me, please!"_

 _A man without a face is chasing me. Every time I look back over my shoulder, he's gained on me, getting closer, and closer every time._

 _Suddenly, I stop moving, unable to move forward any further. I reach my hands out and find a wall, I try pushing on it, praying it will move but it doesn't. The man comes up behind me and tackles me to the ground._

 _"Leave me alone!" I beg "Please, get off of me!"_

 _He starts tearing at my clothes, and when I look up I see that the man without a face has transformed into Mark. He's eyeing me like an animal eyes their prey._

 _"Help!" I scream again "Robbie!"_

 _Mark covers my mouth but I bite him and he pulls away._

 _"Robbie! Help me!"_

 _"Cat!" Someone yells off in the distance "Hey Cat?"_

 _"Robbie?!"_

 _"CAT!"_

My eyes snap open and I find myself face to face with Kate.

"Hey." She moves her hands away from my shoulders "You're fine, it was just a nightmare."

"Oh shit..." I cry, rolling onto my side

I try to curl up into the fetal position, but the injuries Mark and Cole have inflicted on me make my entire body ache and I retract, pulling my arms up in front of my face.

"Cat it's not a big deal...Lena and I get them too..."

"God, every time I wake up I pray that it's not real." I shake my head "And every single time, it's like I don't even wake up. I'm living in a nightmare!"

"Cat..I-"

"It's fine." I sniff, rolling onto my other side so I'm facing the wall instead of her "I'm fine. Go back to sleep."


	11. Chapter 11

_Robbie's POV_

"Do you want to go wait at the police station?"

I don't know, do I?

Do I want to watch the police drag in the bastard who took my girlfriend and probably tried to hurt her?

Do I want to see his face?

I want to rip him to shreds, that's what I want. But the police won't let me within five yards of him more than likely, it will be too tempting.

I'm not a violet person, not even close. But if this guy so much as even laid a finger on Cat, that could change in an instant.

"Robbie!" Jade snaps her fingers in front of my face "Earth to Robbie!"

"Sorry." I shake my head "What did you say?"

"Do you want to go wait at the police station?" She repeats "For Cat?"

Today, the police department was going to go investigate the van from the security footage. And if they find the van, they'll find Cat.

"Will they bring her to the police station?" I ask "Or do you think they'll just take her straight to the hospital?"

"You think she'll need to go to the hospital?"

"Well she's been gone for almost a week." I remind her "You've gotta think they're gonna want to get her checked out."

"Well then we can go and wait for information." She sighs "I'm going, you can come with me or you can stay here by yourself, take your pick."

"Alright." I nod "I'll come."

* * *

"How long does it fucking take to arrest someone?" Jade sighs, leaning her head back against the wall

We sit in plastic chairs along the wall of the LAPD lobby, anxiously awaiting the return of the unit that went out to investigate the location of the van.

But we've been her for almost six hours now, and there's been nothing so far.

"A while, apparently." I shrug, trying my best to focus on the school work I have sitting on my lap

Being out of school for five days is really starting to pile up on me, but I just wouldn't be able to concentrate knowing that Cat was out there missing. Then again, trying to concentrate here isn't any easier.

Will she run and jump into my arms when she sees me? Hugging me, never wanting to let go? Or will she collapse in tears, so relieved to finally be away from her captor?

Either way, I just want to see her again.

"Calculus?"

"What?"

"Calculus." Jade points to the textbook sitting on my lap

"Oh, yeah." I sigh "It's kind of...ridiculous."

"How'd you get into that as a junior?" She asks "Isn't that college-level?"

"I tested into it." I explain "But next year I won't be able to go any higher, so I'll have to take like a statistics class or something..."

"Sounds like a hard-knock life..." She chuckles "This is coming from the person who's barely passing her algebra course."

"There's nothing wrong with being average." I tease

"Asshole." She smirks, rolling her eyes

This is how most of our interactions go, at least the ones that aren't focused solely on Cat. We'll make conversations for a minute or so, then it will die off and become awkward.

The sliding doors that allow entrance into the police department slide open and Tori's dad and his partner walk in.

But they're alone.

I close my textbook, shoving it into my backpack. I nudge Jade and she does the same to her laptop.

"Mr. Vega!" I call, shrugging my backpack on as I make my way over to him, Jade close behind me "Mr...Errr, Detective Vega!"

"Robbie." He looks surprised "Jade. Hi guys, what...can I help you?"

"Weren't you going to find the guy who owned that van?" Jade asks

"Yeah." I agree "Where's Cat? Did you find her?"

"Why don't you guys come up to my office." He nods towards the elevator "We have some things to talk about."

Jade and I exchange a glance, the fear I see in her eyes is probably reflected in my own. I know we're both thinking the same thing.

 _Cat is dead._

We follow Detective Vega into the elevator and ride up to his office on the third floor. All the detectives in missing persons have desks in one large room, not exactly the most private, so he motions for us to follow him down the hallway to an interrogation room.

"Just say it..." I sigh, closing the door behind us "Please."

"Say what, Robbie?" He looks at me confused

"She's dead, isn't she?" I ask, tears forming in my eyes

"What? No. No no, she's not dead. At least we haven't found any evidence to suggest that she is." He assures me "Here, take a seat."

Jade and I each take a seat in one of the chairs and Detective Vega leans against the wall.

"The license plate number lead us to a van that belonged to a man named AJ Cooke..." He explains "He worked for an IT company, so that van was once full with all kinds of gadgets and technology pieces. However, he reported it stolen about two weeks ago."

"So he wasn't the guy who took Cat?"

"It's highly unlikely." He sighs "We were able to track the GPS signals to some of the material from the van, and it was a dead end."

"They dumped it." Jade scoffs "Of course."

"Do her parents know all of this?" I ask

"My lieutenant is on her way to talk to them as we speak." He tells us "We're not going to give up, okay? We put a BOLO out on the van, hopefully someone has seen or will see something and call it in."

"Detective Vega, please tell me you're going to catch this bastard." Jade begs

"We're sure as hell going to try."


	12. Chapter 12

_Cat's POV_

"How do you eat this?" I sigh, picking at my sandwhich

Tonight, it's one slice of turkey with one slice of American cheese, folded in half. It tastes like shit, like it's only a day or two way from it's expiration date. Most of the food they give us probably is.

Occasionally, if we're lucky, we'll get a peanut butter sandwhich every once and a while.

"You'll get used to it." Kate smirks, taking a bit of her own sandwhich "Lena and I both have."

"I don't think I ever will..." I sigh

"Food is food, take what you can get.

"Yeah I know." I roll my eyes

Lena is in the other room with Cole, letting him take his turn. It's day number twenty-two here for me, and I still don't understand how her and Kate can willingly walk into that bedroom with them, knowing what their intentions are. I still have to be dragged in, no longer kicking and screaming, but I refuse to go in willingly.

My bruised wrist is no longer bruised. However, new bruises cover the rest of my body, especially my chest and arms. The skin on my wrists has been rubbed raw from handcuffs and various kinds of binds that Mark uses, if they're touched the wrong way, they start bleeding. So basically every time I go into the bedroom.

I can see my ribs when I lift up my shirt, and the rest of my body matches. I'm not as small as Lena and Kate are, but they've been here longer than I have. Give me enough time and I'm sure I'll get there too...

The door opens and Cole struts out of the bedroom.

"Let's see..." He stops just before the doorway that leads to the stairwell "I think I get Kate next...is that right?"

"Yup..." Kate sighs, not even making eye contact

"See you the day after next, baby." He winks, bending down and unlocking the door "I'll be waiting."

"Fuck off." Kate groans as he slams the door behind him, locks it again and disappears for the night

I wish he would disappear forever, but only in my wildest dreams would that actually happen.

My nightmares have plateaued, they aren't getting any worse, but they sure as hell aren't getting any better. Every night I wake up crying, or in a cold sweat, terrified of the pictures my subconscious imagination has created. I'm always running from one of my captors, usually Mark, but sometimes Cole. It's awful. But Lena and Kate say I've stopped screaming, or at least I'm not screaming loud enough to wake them up.

"Hey." Lena appears in the doorway, adjusting her tank top

It took me about a week to realize that they've provided almost identical outfits for the three of us. We all wear the same pair of sweatpants, too baggy to hug our bodies, falling off our hips. I have the army green tank top, Lena's is yellow, and Kate just got a new purple one after Mark ripped her black one right off of her a few days ago. All of our clothes are stained with blood, both our own, and each other's.

"Hey." Kate and I both nod

"You okay?" Kate asks her

"Yeah." Lena nods "I think he was tired, he didn't make the cuffs as tight this time."

"Lucky." I scoff "I get Mark tomorrow."

"Hey we all take our turn with him." She reminds me

"Yeah yeah, I know."

"Do you think it's safe to say the police aren't coming this time?" Kate sighs, watching Lena as she sits down on her mattress

"I don't think it's ever good to abandon all hope completely." Lena shakes her head "She hasn't even been here a month yet, they could still be looking."

"If they were still looking, they would've found us by now." I say flatly "One of my best friend's Dad works for LAPD, he would've found me by now."

It's not a lie. I'm usually one of the most positive people in the world, but even I am close to giving up any hope of being found at this point. It's been almost a month, the press coverage will start to die down, just like it did when Kate went missing. People will forget about my story and get on with it. My parents will probably figure that I'm dead, and begin the healing process that comes with the loss of a child. My friends will mourn for a while, but eventually my gap in their group will close, like it was never even there. Robbie will fall in love again and move on, as difficult as that will be for him. They'll all be fine eventually.

And one day, Mark and Cole's rituals will become too much for me. My body will give up and I will die. They'll dump by body somewhere and I'll either be gone forever, or someone will find me and rip open the wounds my loved-ones tried so hard to make heal.

Am I giving up? I don't know, I guess I am. I don't have any way out of this basement. And based on what Lena and Kate tell me about Cole and Mark, they're too good at covering their tracks for the police to find me.

So this is my life now, I guess they win.

If this is how I feel after only twenty-two days, I don't know if I can only imagine how Lena and Kate feel after being here for almost two years.

I don't know how they've survived.

Lena lets out a moan and lays down on her mattress, eyes closed.

"You okay?" I ask

"I have a bit of a headache." She sighs "I'm okay."

Kate crawls over to her and feels her forehead with the back of her hand.

"You're warm." She tells her

"Um, I was just in there with Cole." She points to the room "Excuse me for being a little warm."

"We should keep an eye on her." Kate tells me

"Sure." I nod

"I'm fine guys." Lena groans

"You probably just have a fever." I tell her "It'll be fine."


	13. Chapter 13

_Robbie's POV_

 _"Robbie!" Cat laughs "You're so slow!"_

 _She takes my hand and pulls me along behind her as she runs through a park, laughing and grinning the whole way._

 _"I'm carrying the picnic basket!" I defend myself "You should try to run while carrying this much weight."_

 _"Oh hush, Robert." She teases "That thing weighs ten pounds, maximum."_

 _"Here?" I ask, stopping_

 _"Sure." She grins_

 _We stop and I set the picnic basket down, pulling out the blanket I had packed inside. I grab one end, Cat grabs the other, and together we spread it out on the grass, sitting down together. Cat kicks off her flip flops and I turn my attention to the basket._

 _"What's for lunch?" She asks as I start unpacking the food_

 _"Caesar salad, turkey sandwiches with potato chips, and cupcakes for desert." I tell her "Oh! And lemonade juice boxes!"_

 _"I love lemonade!" She grins, reaching into the basket and pulling out the package of cupcakes "And cupcakes, you know I can never resist those!"_

 _"Nice try." I smirk "Those are for later."_

 _"You're gonna have to catch me if you want them back." She giggles, leaping to her feet and taking off across the grass_

 _"Challenge accepted!" I stand up and start running after her_

 _Cat is quick, she can run fast, but she has short legs, so it doesn't take long for me catch up to her. I come up behind her and wrap my arms around her waist, picking her up and spinning her around in the air._

 _"ROBBIE!" She squeals as I fall to the ground with her on top of me "I love you."_

 _She crawls on top of me, and bends down, pressing a kiss to my lips._

 _"I love you too."_

 _A familiar marimba tone starts blaring from somewhere I can't identify._

 _"Robbie?" Cat's face is full of fear "Robbie don't go!"_

 _"I'm not going anywhere!" I assure her_

 _The music starts growing louder and louder._

 _"Robbie!" She screams_

I sit straight up in bed, heart racing trying to catch my breath. I grab my phone off my nightstand and turn off the alarm, the source of the marimba music.

It was only a dream.

Cat isn't here.

I throw the blankets off my body and stand up, pulling myself over to my closet to find something to wear.

It's time for school.

* * *

"The only way this can work is if you talk to me." Lane says

"I don't know exactly what it is you want me to tell you." I shrug

"I want you to tell me what you feel." He explains "How are you doing? You've had a rough month."

Well that's an understatement.

"I miss her." I sigh "Everyone and everything reminds me of her. It makes life impossible."

"That's understandable. You two were very close."

Is he kidding?

"Close? You think we were just 'close'." I exclaim "Lane, we loved each other. We still love each other..."

"Why did you say it in past-tense?" He inquires

"Because there's a chance she could be dead." I whisper

"What makes you think that?"

"They would've found her by now..." I look at him "She's been gone for almost a month..."

"So do you think it's best for you to just move on?" He asks me

"What?" I gasp "No, how could you ask me that?"

"I'm just trying to figure out your perspective here, Robbie." He says calmly "So you don't want to move on?"

"No, of course not." I shake my head "I still love her, I'll love her to the day I die. Nothing will change that. And I don't want to move on until I know for one hundred percent certain that I need to. Until then, I'm gong to continue to hold out hope."

"It's good that you know what you want."

"Lane?"

"Yes Robbie?"

"When is this going to stop hurting?" I ask, voice shaking

"You know, buddy..." He sighs, offering me a box of tissues "I don't know. I really don't. But I'm guessing, it will be when you finally get the closure you need. Whether that be the police actually finding Cat, or..."

"Finding her body?"

"Not necessarily."

"That's what you were thinking though, wasn't it?" I stand up "Thanks Lane, I'll see you during lunch tomorrow."

"Robbie, you don't have to leave."

"I need to take a break." I tell him "I'll show up for our session tomorrow, I promise."

I grab my backpack and show myself out of Lane's office, walking out into the main hallway and towards my physics class I should technically be attending right now. Lane calls me out of one class a day, Monday through Thursday so we can talk. Well actually, so he can check up on me. My parents ordered it so I wouldn't drive myself insane. Jade's parents did the same for her.

I can't speak for Jade, but in my opinion it's not really doing any good. Just another daily reminder that Cat is gone.

I make my way up the main stairs and turn left, heading towards the math-science wing. I decide to take the long way to class, trying my hardest to waste time. Subconsciously, I'm doing it for a different reason though, Cat's locker is this way. I can see it from the end of the hall. Despite the fact that it's neon pink and covered in white polka dots, there's also a shitload of stuff surrounding it now. Notes, cards, flowers,stuffed animals, all from fellow students who are concerned for her well-being. I'm sure if the school allowed candles to be lit on the property, there'd be plenty of those too.

I stop in front of it, eyes fixated on the framed picture of her sitting on the floor.

"Cat..." I whisper, dropping to my knees "Come back to me...please."


	14. Chapter 14

_Cat's POV_

My arm stings as something cuts into it. What cuts into it, I'm not sure. I'm blindfolded so I can't see, and there's a gag in my mouth so I can't scream either. No matter how bad it hurts.

"No need to fucking tense up, bitch." Mark sneers "It's just a little scratch."

He removes the blindfold and pulls the gag out of my mouth, chuckling to himself, as I finally gain the ability to cry out in pain.

I turn and look at my arm, blood pouring out of a gash about two inches long.

"Shut the hell up." He slaps me across the face

"That's...that's not a scratch." I tell him

"You're fine."

I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from making anymore comments that could get me further injured.

"We're done for now..." He caresses the side of my face "Until next time, Cat."

I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. I hate him, I hate that he's touching me, I hate this bed, I can't stand him, I can't stand any of it.

I say nothing as he stands up and dresses himself, waiting for him to exit the room. When he does, I roll out of the bed and onto the floor, collecting my clothes so I can get dressed, mindful of the blood gushing from my arm.

I put my clothes back on and walk into the main room.

"Holy shit!" Kate exclaims when she sees my arm "What the fuck?"

"It's just a scratch." I roll my eyes as she makes her way over to me

"Is that what he told you?" She sighs "Here let me look."

"Verbatim." I nod as she begins examining my arm "Ouch! Kate!"

"I'm trying to help you!"

"Stop arguing..." Lena groans "You're making my head hurt even worse."

"We're not arguing, Lena. It's fine." I assure her "Is your head still not feeling better?"

"I'm gonna go grab something to tie over this." Kate tells me, turning towards the bathroom "See if I can stop the bleeding."

"Kk." I respond "Lena?"

"It feels like there's an elephant sitting on my head." She sighs "And I feel like I could puke."

"Her temperature hasn't gone down any either." Lena informs me, walking out of the bathroom with a scrap of her old black tank top "Here, I'm gonna wrap this around it to put pressure on it and hopefully that will stop the bleeding. It doesn't look that deep, it's just long."

"Thanks Kate."

"Don't mention it."

"Aw, how sweet." Lena teases

It's safe to say Lena's health has been deteriorating quickly in the past 36 hours. What started as a low fever turned into a moderate fever with a headache. When we woke up this morning, her head was still hurting, she was still warm, despite having slept in the freezing basement all night, and when it came time for breakfast, she couldn't even eat her orange she felt so nauseous. I'm frightened for her.

"Has she eaten any of her sandwhich?" I ask as Kate and I start walking over to Lena's mattress

Kate shakes her head.

That's not a good sign.

"So you still feel like shit..." I sigh, sitting down "Anything we can do to help you feel better?"

"Tell me about life on the outside." She says

"What?" I look at Kate

"Girl, we haven't seen the sun in almost two years." Lena chuckles "You were the last one out there, humor me..."

"What do you want to know?" I laugh

"Have the men gotten anymore attractive?"

"Kate!"

"It's a legitimate question." I defend my fellow detainee "I don't know if I can answer it, but I'd be wondering the same thing if I were her."

"What do you mean, you don't know if you can answer it?" Kate smacks my good arm "Have you not been paying attention or something?"

"Not to other guys..." I blush

"Are you trying to tell us you're lesbian?" Lena raises an eyebrow at me

"No!" I shriek

"She's trying to tell us she only has googoo eyes for her boyfriend." Kate smirks "Who's name, I'm going to predict, is Robbie?"

"How'd you know that?" I ask "She's right, by the way, but how did you know?"

"When you first got here and you had those really bad nightmares? You used to call out his name in your sleep." She tells me "It was actually kinda cute."

"Aw that is cute." Lena agrees "You probably miss him like crazy."

"Yeah no shit..." I sigh

"How long were you two together? You know, before..."

"They took me the day before our eight month anniversary." I frown "I've told you guys that."

"Yeah, I do remember you telling us that now. I'm sorry, we didn't mean to make you upset."

"No it's fine." I assure her "I've actually been thinking about him a lot, actually..."

"I'm sure he misses you just as much, if not more than you miss him."

"Robbie's the kind of guy who likes to figure things out..." I sigh "And when he can't, it literally drives him insane. Like, he's not a know-it-all or anything like that, he just hates not understanding things, I think that's why he's so smart. I just keep hoping that the fact that he doesn't know what happened to me will keep him going, you know? That he won't stop searching until he finds me. But another part of me wonders if he'll just eventually give up and move on, thinking I'm dead or something like that."

Lena reaches out and grabs my hand

"Cat..." She says "We're gonna find a way out of here somehow. Not today, or tomorrow, or maybe not even in the next week or so. But somehow, we'll get out. And then you and that boy will be free to have the sappiest teenage romance known to man, I promise."

"Lot's of people have promised me lots of things, Lena." I tell her "I don't know if this will be any different."


	15. Chapter 15

_Robbie's POV_

"How was school today?" My mom asks as I walk in the door from school

"Terrible." I tell her, heading upstairs to my room so I can disappear for a while

"Do you want to talk about it?" She calls after me

"No." I say, closing my bedroom door behind me

Everyday, she asks me the same question when I come home. And everyday, I give her the same response. School without Cat sucks. Sure, I have friends there, Beck and Andre. And even Tori and Jade, I guess. But I wasn't the only one who adored Cat, lots of people did, or still do I guess. Hollywood Arts without her...it feels weird, it feels wrong. Thank god summer vacation is only a week away. Then again, I don't know if summer will be any better.

One of my favorite memories from last summer were the days when my friends and I would take day trips to Santa Monica. We'd spend the morning at the beach, laying on blankets in the sand, or chasing each other through the waves. When we got bored, we'd rent roller skates or head up to the carnival on the boardwalk to occupy the rest of our time before night fell and it would be time to head home.

Cat and I weren't dating then, but we were friends. Close friends who were on their way to becoming something more. We were flirty with each other, but nothing too over the top. I miss those days. Unfortunately, trying to figure out the signals the girl I had a crush on was sending me was easier than what's going on in my life right now.

I sit down at my desk and pull out my homework.

Focusing is hard, but with final exams coming up, this really isn't the time to let my grades slip. Just one more reason to hate the bastard who's responsible for this whole situation.

I grab my headphones and plug them into my phone, opening my police scanner app. I know it's almost useless to be listening, but I keep holding out hope that I'll hear something, _anything_ that could bring me closer to seeing Cat again.

There's a knock on the door.

"Mom..." I sigh, turning around in my desk chair "I told you, I don't want to talk about it."

"I know, I know." She holds her hands up, a sign of surrender "There's someone here for you. One of your friends."

"Who?" I ask, standing up and following her downstairs

"I didn't get her name, she's in the living room."

At the sound of the words 'her' and 'she', I get excited, thinking possibly that it could be Cat. But that's not possible. And if it had been, my mom would've run into my room in hysterics. She wouldn't have been calm.

I enter the living room to see that it was Jade my mother had been talking about, not Cat.

See? Not possible.

"Hey...?" I say, entering the room

"Oh, uh...hey." She seems startled by my entrance "Sorry, I should've texted you or called first but-"

"It's okay." I stop her

There seems to be an unspoken understanding between the two of us now, that we can lean on each other for support if we need to. We were closest to Cat, we're the only ones who really know what the other is going through. I lost my best friend and my girlfriend, she lost her best friend and her practical sister.

"You...you wanna go get coffee or something?"

"Sure." I nod "I'll drive."

* * *

"This coffee tastes like ass..." I say flatly

"Well going to Jet Vroom still doesn't feel right." Jade sighs "Is this what it's gonna be like forever? Drinking shitty coffee for the rest of our lives because anything decent tasting remind us of her?"

"I don't know." I bite the inside of my cheek "I really hope not. Hopefully they'll actually find her...maybe then life could actually go back to normal, eventually."

"Twenty-four days and the police don't have any leads. Doesn't really look like 'normal' is going to happen any time soon."

"It's not fair." I shake my head

"To her or to us?"

"To her." I clarify "I can deal with pain, that I can deal with. But the thought of her suffering...that I can't stand."

"You know, Robbie..." Jade hesitates "When you and Cat first started dating, I wasn't that thrilled."

A little random, but alright.

"You weren't?"

"Nope." She shakes her head "You were nerdy, and awkward, and honestly, you just seemed totally and completely wrong."

"Why don't you tell me how you really feel?"

"No I'm going somewhere, I promise." She assures me "But the past eight months, or so..."

"Nine months." I correct her

"Right, almost nine months now..." She sighs "Anyway, especially in the past twenty-four days, I can see I was wrong. You really care about her, she's lucky to have you."

"Well I'm glad I've finally earned you're approval." I chuckle "And as long as we're being honest, can I tell you something."

"Sure." She shrugs "Just be careful though, because I'm more than capable of hurting you."

"Noted." I roll my eyes "Anyway, don't push Beck away. I know better than anyone how much it sucks being alone during this, okay? Talk to him, let him know how you're feeling. He wants to help you, he does."

"I know he does..." She sighs "It's just hard to find the words...you know?"

"Yeah, I know."

"I promise I'll talk to him, if you promise to find another way to handle the stress than just hiding in your room all the time." She says "Seriously, it's not healthy. And if Cat comes back and you're out of commission because you kept everything bottled up, I might have to kill you. Okay?"

"You have a deal." I extend my hand to her

"Good." She takes it and shakes it


	16. Chapter 16

_Cat's POV_

"Oh fuck!" I exclaim, grabbing Lena's hair as she collapses over the toilet, vomit spilling from her mouth "Aw...Lena..."

Today, Kate and I tried, and thankfully succeeded, to get Lena to eat her orange the brothers threw down for us. It took us a solid three hours of persuasion, but we succeeded.

Now, however, about an hour later, we're seeing the orange again. Along with a terrible amount of stomach acid.

"This isn't going to be good..." Kate whispers "It's her turn tonight."

"Yeah, I know that." I nod "Maybe, by some miracle, Mark will have a heart and go easy on her."

"Yeah right." Kate scoffs

"Crazy, I know..." I sigh "When he comes down here, I'll volunteer and go for her."

"No you had to go with him on your last turn." Kate shakes her head "I'll go with him, you have to go tomorrow anyways."

"But you went yesterday, Kate."

"I can go..." Lena croaks "It's not fair to you."

"Lena you're sick." I frown "You couldn't even keep your orange down, how are you supposed to last a turn with Mark?"

"I'll make it work."

"Lena, he'll hurt you."

Lena turns and pushes herself so she's sitting up against the wall, using it for support.

She really does look terrible, like a ghost almost. She hasn't eaten, or kept anything down, for almost three days. The poor girl can barely stand on her own, let alone walk. She needs a doctor, but Mark and Cole won't let her see one.

"He hurts me every time." She looks at me "He hurts you, he hurts Kate. Every time. It won't make any difference if I'm sick or not."

Honestly, I think the best case scenario here is for Mark to come down, take one look at Lena, and get so disgusted that he turns around and goes right back upstairs.

"Lena..."

The knob on the door that leads to the stairwell starts rattling, turns, and opens.

"Shit..." I mutter

Mark steps into the basement and looks around, like he's confused that the three of us are absent. For a moment, I can almost see terror in his eyes, like he might think we've escaped, until he sees us all gathered in the bathroom. Then he relaxes, walking over to us.

"Lena!" He says harshly "Up! Let's go!"

"She's sick..." I tell him "Like, dangerously sick. She can't take her turn. I'll go for her, but she needs-"

He kicks me hard in the stomach, knocking me over, flat onto my back and knocking all of the wind out of me.

"No..." I choke

Mark grabs Lena's arm, pulling her to her feet and dragging her out of the bathroom, into the bedroom next door. I hear the door slam shut, and a terrible feeling spreads through my entire body.

"What do we do?" Kate panics

"I don't...I don't know..."

"Shit! Here let me help you..." She helps me sit up "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." I rub my sore ribcage "He just knocked the wind out of me is all...we have to help Lena."

I get to my feet, using the wall for support.

"Be careful!" Kate warns me "What are we gonna do, Cat? He'll snap us like toothpicks, we can't take him."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" I exclaim "We can't just sit here and do nothing!"

Something hits the other side of the wall, hard, causing Kate to scream.

"Fuck..." I whisper

I walk out of the bathroom and start pounding on the door to the bedroom.

Is this idiotic? No, try extremely idiotic? Yes. But Lena helped take care of me when I first got here, and I know she'd be doing the same for me right now. I owe her.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" I scream "Kate!"

Kate runs over to join me at the door.

"LET HER OUT!" Kate screams alongside me "ONE OF US WILL COME IN, PLEASE JUST LET HER GO!"

"This isn't working." I sigh

"He's gonna come out here and take it out on us..." She whispers

"At least we tried." I shake my head, hitting the door one last time "Screw him."

Something hits the door again and Lena screams. I fall to my knees and cover my ears.

I wish this wasn't happening, I wish my friend wasn't in the room next to me being beaten and abused. I wish that we weren't trapped in this basement. I wish that I was home safe with my friends, my boyfriend, and my family.

"Cat..." Kate wraps her arms around me

I start to cry, I haven't cried in almost four days.

Back to square one, I guess.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Mark emerges from the bedroom, a sick grin on his face. I see that his hands are covered in blood as he passes me. The second he closes the door to the stairwell and locks it behind him, Kate and I exchange a glance and leap to our feet, heading to help Lena.

Kate is in front of me. I know when she stops running and gasps, things aren't looking good.

I enter the room behind her, and I'm right.

Lena is laying on the ground, blood pooling on the floor next to her, pouring from a gash in her side.

"No no no no no..." I look around for something to clot the bleeding with "Lena? You're gonna be okay. Can you hear me? It's gonna be fine."

"Cat..." She croaks "It's...it's...it's...t-ttt-tt..."

"It's what, Lena?" Kate crouches down next to me

"T-ttt-oooo l-lll-ate." Lena finishes "Guys, I'm d-ddd-dying."

"No you're not!" I exclaim "Lena, you're gonna be okay."

"She's lost too much blood..." Kate whispers "We've just gotta make her as comfortable as possible."

"No..." I shake my head, beginning to cry again "We can't give up on her!"

Lena takes my hand in hers, trembling.

"It's ok-kkkay." She smiles "B-bbut promise m-mm-ee..."

"Anything." I tighten my grip on her hand

"Yeah." Kate agrees "Anything."

"G-ggget oo-ouut of he-eeere." She stammers

"We'll try."

"Please." Lena croaks

"Absolutely." I nod "We will."

A tear slides down my cheek and lands on Lena's forehead.

"I w-wwish...I could've...m-mm-met...R-rrobbieee." She smirks "He...he...he s-sounded...n-nn-ice."

"He is..." I smile "You would've gotten along great."

And with that, my friend takes her last breath.


	17. Chapter 17

_Cat's POV_

"Fuck!" I cry "Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

 _Lena is gone._

She was the one who helped me when I first got here. Sure, I've befriended Kate as well, but she was more distant in the beginning. Lena always did everything she could to make sure that I felt as safe as I possibly could all the time. She was like a big sister, and Mark ended her life. Just like that.

Kate leans forward and closes Lena's eyes, remaining quiet as she sits back down next to me.

"Some things..." She says, her voice catching "Some things are supposed to get easier with time, the more you experience them. But, death...that's not something I think I will ever be able to take easily."

"So what do we...what do we do now?" I ask "We can't just leave her here..."

"They'll come back for her before the night is over..." Kate tells me "Emma was gone within an hour..."

 _Emma._

The girl who was here before me, the girl who I probably replaced. She bled out in this same room, she died in Kate's arms. That brings the death count to at least two.

 _How many other girls have they killed?_

"We should get her dressed." Kate stands up, grabbing Lena's tank top off the floor

"You don't deserve this, Lena." I whisper before going to help Kate

* * *

"Two sandwiches for the little whores." Cole throws a sandwhich at Kate and I each "And now to go get rid of the third one..."

"Where are you going to take her?" I ask him

"Cat..." Kate sighs

"We'll dump her somewhere." Cole calls from the bedroom "Then we'll start looking into finding you two another friend."

"They're just going to dump her?" I whisper to Kate "What the hell?"

"In case you haven't noticed, they're not exactly the nicest people, Cat."

Cole emerges from the bedroom with Lena, no, Lena's _body_ , slung over his shoulder.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Cat." He winks before leaving the basement and locking the door behind him

"Asshole." I mutter

"I knew Lena for five hundred and ninety-eight days." Kate whispers "That's just over a year and a half...I was so terrible to her at times, but she was never anything but nice to me. She doesn't deserve to end up dumped on the side of the hallway for some random family on vacation for the week to find her. She doesn't deserve to be dead to begin with..."

"No one _deserves_ to die..." I tell her

"Especially not Lena, though." She shakes her head "She didn't deserve to be taken and brought down here, to be ruined."

"Again, _no one_ deserves this."

"It took them eight days, between Emma dying and you coming in." She tells me "They're going to take another girl and throw her down here with us."

"That will open another police investigation..." I say "Another missing girl, means another missing persons investigation. Maybe they'll be sloppy, leave some kind of evidence behind. Or...maybe when the police find Lena's body, the homicide investigation will lead them to Mark and Cole."

"That's a lot of maybes."

"Well what do we do then?"

"I dunno..." Kate shrugs "I really don't."

* * *

 _Robbie's POV_

" _You better lose yourself in the music, the moment, You own it, you better never let it go_." Music blares through my headphones as I run " _You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow, This opportunity comes once in a lifetime_..."

This is how I've been managing my stress now, I run. Around my neighborhood, downtown, along the beach, all over, anything to clear my head. I'll admit that it does help me feel better, but only for a little while. I can't run forever, and the relief only lasts so long.

A car horn blares as I run across the street.

"Hey!" The driver yells "Watch out kid!"

"Sorry!" I yell back

Whatever. That guy was nowhere close to hitting me.

I round the corner, onto my street. Each step brings me closer and closer to the bottle of water and shower waiting for me at home.

I reach my driveway and stop running. I pull my phone out of my pocket and turn off the 'Do Not Disturb' feature I turned on so that, well, no one disturbs me during my run. I have four text messages and a missed call, and a voicemail.

Two texts are from my mom, one asks me how long I think I'll be out running, the second asks what I want for dinner.

Those can wait to be responded to.

Another text message is from Andre, asking if I can make him a copy of my final exam study packet for Sikowitz's class.

Of course he lost his.

The last one from Jade. She wants to talk to me.

The missed call and the voicemail are from her too.

I pull my headphones off and rest them on my neck, unplugging them and lifting the phone to my ear.

"Hey, Robbie..." She says "You're probably out running, uh...we need to talk. I just got off the phone with Cat's mom, don't get offended that she didn't call you too, I promised that I would call you and let you know what's going on because they needed to get to the police station...but, they found a body...a teenage girl, under a bridge over the Los Angeles River. They're not sure if it's Cat but I think-"

I don't need to hear anymore.

I need to shower and get down to the police station.


	18. Chapter 18

_**Updating early today because I have a lot of family stuff tonight because of the holiday. But I just wanted to say a quick 'Merry Christmas' (or 'Happy Holidays' to those of you who are of other faiths) to all of you. I hope you have a fabulous holiday, and thank you for reading/supporting my stories! You mean the world. XOXO.**_

* * *

 _Robbie's POV_

I step off the elevator and start walking towards the Missing Persons department that I've started to become so familiar with in the past month, preparing myself for the worst.

They found a girl, a dead girl. She was under a bridge that runs over the Los Angeles River, a driver saw her as they were passing over the bridge and called the police. The police have yet to identify her, but this horrible feeling in my gut tells me that I should be expecting the worst.

Cat has been missing for twenty-six days now, almost a month. The odds of her being found alive after this long...I doubt they're high.

And I feel so terrible for having thinking like that. Cat is the most important person in my life, I love her to the moon and back. Life without her seems so...I don't know. It's too terrible to think about, yet I've been living it for the past twenty-six days. I'm still so confused, honestly.

Cat was...is, the greatest person in the world. She's perfect in every way...why would someone want to take her? Why would they want to hurt her? And intentionally at that...?

"Robbie!" Jade spots me, rushing over to me from across the room

"Hey." I say eagerly "What's going on?"

"It's not her." She tells me "It's not Cat."

"Oh thank god." I breathe a sigh of relief "Oh my god, that's good news. That's really good news."

Well, not for the girl they found. Or her family.

"Yeah." Jade agrees

Then, for the first time in my life, Jade hugs me.

Jade West, who shuts basically everyone out, who never shows affection to anyone but Beck; hugs me.

I hug her back, gently, not really sure how to react.

"So this means she could still be alive." I smile

There's still a chance I could see her again.

"A chance..." Jade nods "Yeah."

"Well..." I hesitate "Then who's the girl?"

"Her name is Lena Morgan." Detective Vega says, coming up behind us "Follow me."

Jade and I exchange a glance, unsure exactly of what to do. She shrugs and we both start walking towards the briefing room that Detective Vega is heading towards.

Once we're inside, I shut the door behind us and sit down in a chair along the wall.

"Why'd we come in here?" Jade asks "Is it something bad?"

"I just want you two to be kept in the loop." He tells us "I feel like you at least deserve that much."

"So Lena Morgan..."

"I recognize that name..." Jade says

"She disappeared close to two years ago." Detective Vega informs us "She's nineteen, or...she was nineteen. Her parents came down and were able to identify her. They barely recognized her, but they were able to identify, and then a DNA test confirmed it. She was malnourished, badly injured, and the genetics techs were able to pinpoint the cause of death to the gash in her side."

"Can finding her aid Cat's investigation at all?" I ask him

"Possibly."

 _Possibly._

That's the most promising thing I've heard in a while, at least from the police department. My friends and family have been telling me to 'keep thinking positive' and 'the police will find her, just watch', too positive. The police have been saying 'we'll do the best we can' and 'nothing is certain'. To be honest, I'm not sure which side to believe. I just want this all to be over.

"Define possibly."

"If her...killer...left any DNA anywhere on the body, we can investigate and look into any leads it might dig up."

"What are the odds of it digging up any leads?"

"Not sure." Detective Vega sighs "Nothing is certain."

Again, I'm not sure who to believe.

* * *

"Is everything okay?" My mom asks when I walk in the door "I saw your note saying you went to the police station, but you haven't been answering your phone."

"Sorry." I apologize "I keep it on silent because I feel like I'm already being disruptive enough just being there, I don't want my phone going off."

"Oh..."

"I'm sorry, Mom." I apologize again "I won't let it happen again."

"It's okay." She nods "I just worry."

"I get it." I nod

My girlfriend disappears and she's worried about something happening to me? I can't say I blame her.

"So are there any new breaks in the investigation?"

"They found a girl under the bridge that runs over the Los Angeles River..."

"Is she alive?"

"No..." I say "They thought it possibly could've been Cat, that's why Jade and I were down there, but thank god...it wasn't."

"So there aren't any new breaks?"

"They're hoping to find some kind of DNA on the dead girl...I think her name was Lena...that could lead to whoever killed her. And that could possibly create some leads they could follow that they investigate...but of course it's too soon to tell."

"Well it's good to finally be hearing something positive!" She smiles

"It's good to finally hear something other than 'we can't be certain'..." I admit

"Remember, the more you cooperate-"

"The more they'll cooperate." I roll my eyes "I know."

"Oh sweetie..." She sighs "They'll find Cat, I have this feeling in my gut."

"I've learned not to rely on gut feelings." I admit

Wherever she is, I just hope she's okay. And my okay I mean, alive; breathing, heart still beating...I know she's not safe, there's no possible way for her to be safe in this situation. I mean, someone took her. Whether she was targeted, or just in the wrong place at the wrong time, someone took her. From her family, from her friends, from her life, from me.

I'll never forgive them for that.


	19. Chapter 19

_Cat's POV_

"How's your arm...?" Kate asks

"I think the cut is getting infected..." I admit

The skin around my cut is turning red and puffy and there's pus leaking out of it. So I think infected is a safe bet to make.

"How's your head?" I ask her

"Still hurts." She shrugs

Mark hit her pretty hard last night.

With Lena...no longer with us...Kate and I are being drug into the bedroom every other day now, since there's no one in the middle to break it up now. We're both more tired, both more agitated. But both still looking out for the other.

We have to. No one else will.

"You said it took them eight days between Emma dying and taking me?"

"Yeah..." She sighs

"And how many days has it been since Lena...you know..."

"Six."

"Was there a girl before you?"

"Cat, I don't know."

"I'm bothering you...I'm sorry." I apologize

"No, don't be." She sighs "It's not your fault, it's mine."

"It's not your fault either. It's theirs."

"At least we agree on something..." I chuckle "God, I never thought I'd say this, but where are those god awful sandwiches?"

"I know, I'm starving."

There's no clocks down here, I actually have no idea if dinner is on time or not, but it feels off.

There's suddenly noise coming from upstairs, right above us; heavy footsteps and what sounds like muffled arguing.

"Sounds like they just got home." I say flatly

"So either we're getting food, or they're going to go straight to bed and forget to feed us."

Though the door, I hear the other one at the top of the stairs creak open.

"Looks like the actually remembered."

However, instead of hearing the familiar sound of footsteps making their way downstairs to deliver Mark and Cole's pitiful excuse for dinner, it almost sounds like someone trips and falls, crashing to the floor at the base of the stairwell.

"Oh shit!" I exclaim, getting to my feet

"Stay away from the door." Kate warns "If one of them fell, they'll be pissed as fuck. If they threw a girl down here, they're probably still feeling violent."

So we sit and wait. Eventually, we hear someone make their way down the stairs, and the door into the basemen flies open.

Mark appears, dragging a girl into view. She's bound and gagged, just like I was. I make eye contact with him and feel immediately disgusted. When someone feels guilty, you can see it in their eyes, but not in Mark's. His eyes are cold and empty, his truly heartless soul showing through.

Asshole.

He kicks the girl one last time to keep her from fighting back, then disappears upstairs, slamming the door shut behind him.

Immediately, I make my way over to the girl to help her.

"Be gentle." Kate warns

"Yeah, I know." I say, carefully removing the gag from the girl's mouth "Hey, shh...you're okay. We're the good guys, I promise."

"Where am I?" The girl exclaims

"I don't know, honestly." I tell her "You were kidnapped, so were we. Those two guys up there, they're holding us captive in their basement."

"They took you too?" She asks, as I try my best to gently remove the duct tape from her wrists "Ouch!"

"Sorry!" I apologize "Sorry, I'm trying my best to be gentle, I promise."

"No it's fine." She shakes her head "Thank you for helping me."

"I'm Cat." I tell her "This is Kate."

"Hi." Kate waves from behind me

"I'm Josie..." She says timidly

"Hi Josie." I smile "Tell me what hurts, we'll see what we can do to help, okay?"

* * *

 _Robbie's POV_

"What do you mean they're taking a break from the investigation?" I exclaim "Cat is still missing!"

Are they allowed to just _stop_ looking for someone like this? What if they were close to finding something that could reveal exactly what happened to Cat? This can't be happening...

"I know, I know. It's unfair." Jade tells me over the phone "But another girl went missing, and they have to follow up on the most recent case..."

"So now what?" I ask "They can't find this girl either and eventually both her _and_ Cat get swept under the bridge? Filed away in folders in the basement of the police station for the rest of eternity?"

"Maybe they'll find something that can link the two cases and they'll end up finding them both." She says optimistically "Homicide is still looking into the dead girl from under the bridge, they could possibly find something that could make Cat's case a priority again. You never know."

"How do you get all of this information so fast?" I sigh

"Her parents." Jade tells me "I visit with them, now that it's summer I'm there at least every other day."

"Oh."

I visit them too, but it's usually closer to once a week instead of every other day. By the time I get there, any new information they could possibly give me, Jade has already told me.

"Yeah...well. I just wanted to let you know."

"Yeah no totally. Thank you." I say "I'll talk to you later?"

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye."

I hang up and place my phone down on the counter.

I walk into the laundry room and grab my Petsmart polo out of the dryer and change into it. The phone call already put me behind schedule and I can't afford to be late. My newly acquired summer job is the only thing in my life that feels somewhat normal.

I want to yell. I want to scream. I want to lash out, punch the wall, kick over a chair.

But I can't.

I have to stay cool, calm, and collected so I can go to work and function like the rest of the world. When I get home, I'll go for a run, or maybe hit the gym, channel all that negative energy somewhere else.

"Please don't let this be the end..." I whisper "Please let them find her."


	20. Chapter 20

_Cat's POV_

Josie barely speaks to us her first night she's with us, not that I can blame her. I remember how frightened I was the first night I was here, so vividly it feels like it was only a few days ago, even though it's been a month. Then again, the frightened feeling never really goes away. It's impossible to feel content and comfortable down here.

However, this morning, after our oranges had been delivered and she got a little bit of food in her stomach, I was able to get her to open up a bit. She just turned sixteen, making her the youngest of the three of us. She attended the same public high school that Tori used to, Sherwood. But she told me it's June now, making it summer vacation.

I always loved summer. No school and all the time in the world to do whatever I wanted with my friends? What more could a teenager want?

I wonder what they're doing right now...are they thinking about me? Or have they already pushed me out of their minds?

"Does anything still hurt from last night?" Kate asks, kneeling down next to her

"No..." Josie shakes her head "Not bad at least, I just feel sore."

"You caught the better end of the deal than Cat did, then." Kate chuckles, shifting to sit on the mattress next to her "Cat had a concussion and an almost-broken wrist. Why are you giving me that look?"

"Because you're not helping..." I sigh

"I try to break the tension with humor!" She defends herself "It's how I make uncomfortable situations less awkward!"

"It's not working." I tell her

"It's fine." Josie whispers "She's fine."

"I'm sorry, we really shouldn't be arguing." I apologize "It's probably not making this any better."

"Don't worry about it." Josie smirks "I'm used to it, I have two older sisters, they fight all the time."

"I have a sister too." Kate tells her "They're a blessing and a curse, huh?"

"Yeah." Josie agrees "Something like that."

"I wish I had a sister." I sigh

"You have a brother, don't you?" Kate asks me

"Yeah but he has...some issues. He's away, I barely ever see him anymore though." I clarify "I would've given anything to have a sister when I was little. Older or younger, it didn't matter. I just wanted to have another girl in my house the same age as me. The closest thing I ever had was...or _is_ my best friend Jade."

"I recognize you from the news..." Josie admits "Caterina Valentine? You went missing at the end of April, didn't you?"

"Yes." I nod "I did."

"They guys upstairs, the ones who brought me here...are they the ones that took you?"

I nod again.

"How many other people have they taken?"

"Two that we know of."

"What happened to them?"

"They're um...they..."

"They died." Kate says, as gently as possible

"Because _they_ killed them?"

"Yeah...basically."

"Are...are they..." Josie stutters over her words, tears forming in her eyes "Are they going to kill the three of us too?"

"Hopefully not." I tell her "Hopefully someone will find us before then."

"They don't bring us here just to kill us?"

"...no."

"Then what do they want with us?"

Now I see Lena and Kate's dilemma, not wanting to tell me the truth when I asked the same question not so long ago. How can you look into the eyes of a frightened, fragile, crying girl and tell her that the men who kidnapped her kidnapped only to rape her over and over again?

You can't. There's no way to.

"It's complicated." Kate says "You'll see."

* * *

"Is your first name really Josie?" I ask "Or is it short for something?"

The three of us are still sitting on her mattress, in a circle, finishing up our disgusting sandwiches.

"Just Josie." She shakes her head "Josie Grace Bennett."

"Oh my god, that's the most adorable name!" I tell her

"Thanks." She blushes "My boyfriend tells me that a lot."

"Why am I the only one who came in here single?" Kate groans

"Oh come on, Kate..."

"Seriously, if we ever get out of here, you two will have people waiting for you!" She sighs "I won't."

"Assuming they don't move on first..." Josie tells her

The girl has a point.

"You'll have your family." I assure her "And it's not _if_ we get out of here, it's _when_."

"Cat is the more positive of the two of us." Kate says "You'll learn that quickly."

We all laugh, but the moment is short-lived as the door to the stairwell bursts open and Mark and Cole appear.

"Good to see you're getting along with your new friend!" Cole smiles "What do you say?"

"Thanks for ruining our lives." Kate rolls her eyes

Outraged, he storms across the room and smacks her right across the face, causing Josie to gasp and flinch.

"We've talked about your attitude problem before, Katie..." He scolds "You don't really want to have that conversation again, do you?"

"Not particularly..."

"Let's go..." Mark groans "You're wasting time!"

"Right." Cole smirks, grabbing Josie's arm and pulling her to her feet "Come on, we always let the new ones experience the fun right away."

"What?" Josie looks at us, horrified

"You're gonna be okay, Josie." I assure her "Everything will be fine!"

"You brought her in, big brother." Cole shoves Josie into Mark's arms "You can do the honors."

"With pleasure." He grins, throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her into the bedroom

He slams the door behind him. Josie screams for a few minutes until the noise stops suddenly, most likely because he's gagged her.

"Have a good night, ladies." Cole tells us, heading back upstairs "I'm looking forward to tomorrow evening."

He slams the door and disappears upstairs, leaving Kate and I alone/

"Sick bastards." She shakes her head

"Agreed." I sigh

Now there's nothing left for us to do except sit and wait, listening to the sound of the bed ramming into the wall on the other side of the bedroom door.

 _Poor Josie_.


	21. Chapter 21

_Cat's POV_

"I can't believe I still remember how to do this..." Kate smiles, weaving strands of Josie's hair carefully around one another to form a French braid

"I feel like it's one of those skills you can never really forget, like driving. Or riding a bike." I tell her "Me next."

"Rather demanding tonight, aren't we?" She laughs "Just sit tight, I'm almost done."

"Thanks again..." Josie says "For doing this."

Josie, I've learned, is even more fragile than I am. After her first night with Mark, Kate and I had to stay up with her well into the night just to keep her from hyperventilating and passing out. The poor thing was so scared, she still is. She's cried herself to sleep almost every night since.

"My pleasure. There might as well be something normal about our lives, right?"

Up above us, there's a sound of what sounds like a door slamming, followed by more than just the normal one or two pairs of footsteps from Mark and Cole; there has to be at least four, maybe five.

"Do you hear that?" I ask Kate

"The police!" Josie looks at me hopefully "They found me!"

She stands up and rushes over to the door that leads up to the stairwell.

"HELP!" She screams "WE'RE DOWN HERE! WE'RE DOWN HERE!"

"What do we do?" Kate looks at me

"Are Mark and Cole even home?" I ask

"I don't know!"

"Well we might as well try, right?" I shrug

I join Josie at the door and begin hitting it along with her. Kate comes over too, and before long we're all pounding and screaming with what little energy we still have left in us.

Footsteps start pounding down the stairs and for a moment, I feel like there might actually be hope.

There's police officers on the other side of that door. They're going to rescue us and take us home. I'm going to see my friends and my parents, hug them and tell them how much I love them and how much I missed them. I'm going to sleep in my own bed again, not some disgusting, lumpy mattress on a cement floor. I'm going to kiss my boyfriend, because I deserve to kiss someone who _really_ loves me, who doesn't just want to use me to 'satisfy his needs'.

But all hope vanishes when the door opens and Mark stumbles into the basement, followed by Cole and a few men I don't recognize.

"See?" Mark slurs, obviously drunk "I told you! Just look at 'em!"

They all push their way in and then Cole locks the door behind them.

He seems fine, while Mark, along with the rest of his friends, are obviously painfully drunk. Looks like Baby Brother drew the shortest straw and got voted designated driver.

"What the hell?" Kate snaps

"Yeah." I agree "What the hell?"

"Didn't you know?" Mark grins, turning to his friends "It's my birthday!"

His buddies all begin to cheer, a few slap him on the back.

"I'm thirty..." He stops and counts on his fingers "Seven! Thirty-seven! I'm thirty-seven years old today!"

If I didn't feel gross enough having been raped multiple times by more than one man, knowing one of them was more than double my age makes me feel even more disgusting.

"Introduce us, you ass!" One of the men laughs, punching Mark's shoulder

"Ladies, these are my buddies!" Mark grins, gesturing to the men behind him "Guys, these are my whores."

Cole clears his throat.

"Excuse me." Mark apologizes " _Our_ whores!"

Kate, obviously insulted, starts towards him like she's about to defend herself.

"No!" I reach out and block her "He's drunk, they all are. Pissing him off will just make it worse."

"Are you just going to let him talk to you like that?" She asks

"As opposed to pissing him off and winding up dead?" I remind her "Sticks and stones..."

"I thought you said there'd be one for each of us!" One of the other men exclaims "There's only three!"

"Don't worry, Jay." Cole chuckles, walking towards us with his hands in his pockets, stopping just inches from Kate and I "They won't mind going more than once, will you ladies?"

"Fuck you." Kate spits "Fuck you all!"

"Actually..." He leans in close to her "I believe _we're_ the ones who will be fucking _you_ tonight, Katie dearest. Alright boys, who wants who first?"

"I want the little one..." One man says, stepping forward and grabbing Josie in his arms "She's adorable!"

"No!" She screams, trying to fight back, but I can tell she's a lost cause.

"I like this one's hair..." The man, previously identified as Jay, walks over to me, grabbing a lock of my hair in his hands "Red is my favorite color you know."

He wraps his arms around me and pulls me close to him. I try to break free, but I don't have enough energy to make it very far. I've lost so much weight being trapped down here and living off of sandwiches and oranges, and god knows I'm more than likely sick with all the infected cuts on my body. He's bigger and stronger than me anyways. Even if I _was_ healthy, I wouldn't stand a chance.

"That means I get to take my favorite." Mark grins, grabbing Kate's arm and pulling her towards the bedroom "What a great birthday present!"

"Mark will probably take you both tonight as well." Cole warns us "That's the thing about my brother. When it comes to celebrations, he likes to go big or go home."

Besides Cole, there's one other man besides Jay and the one who has taken a liking to Josie, he staggers over to me and calls dibs after Jay is done.

They're calling dibs on me, like I'm a piece of property, an inanimate object that can be owned.

"You're so hot..." Jay whispers in my ear, kissing my neck

I try to move away so he can't, but because he's taller than me, and it's not exactly hard to be, my head goes nowhere and only ends up hitting his arm.

"Stop." I beg "Please."

"No!" Josie yells

I look over to see she's having the same issue.

"How can I stop when you're so tempting?" Jay slurs in my ear, the stench on alcohol on his breath filling my nostrils "God, I can't wait to get my hands all over you..."

I choose not to respond this time, looking up at the ceiling, trying to prevent the tears filling my eyes from slipping down my face.

Kate, Josie, and I are in for a long night.


	22. Chapter 22

_Robbie's POV_

"Are you going out tonight?" My mother asks as I finish drying a plate, then hand it to her to put away

"No." I tell her "I don't think so."

"Are you going to go out _at all_ this summer?" She raises an eyebrow at me

"I go to work." I remind her

"And then you come home and sulk around the house all night." She counters "Sweetheart, go out with your friends and have a good time. Cat wouldn't want you to be miserable like this."

It's hard to explain to her why I can't. Andre and Beck, the only two really good friends that I have _besides_ Cat, they have girlfriends. And their girlfriends were friends with _my_ girlfriend, and they're having just as hard a time coping as I am. They need them, and I'd hate to be the one to take that away.

"It's just complicated, okay?" I sigh "The Valentine's invited me to their Fourth of July barbeque next weekend..."

"Well are you going to go?"

"I haven't decided yet."

"You should." She nods "I think her parents need the company just as much as you do."

I'm about to come back with another 'I don't know' when something from the living room catches my attention.

" _Breaking news in the Josie Bennett case..."_

Josie Bennett is the girl they dropped Cat's case for. Maybe if they found her, the police can turn their attention back to finding Cat.

Or Cat's body.

God, I don't know what to think anymore.

"Hey, Dad!" I say, entering the living room "Turn that up."

"Sure." He shrugs, raising the volume

" _Two men are wanted for the kidnapping of Josie Bennett of Los Angeles..."_ The news anchor says as a picture flashes on the screen _"Marcus and Colton Varney, last seen here in the downtown area. They are considered to be armed and dangerous, anyone with information is urged to contact Los Angeles Police immediately."_

The screen changes and the weather report begins, no more information.

"Huh." I shrug

"At least the police are able to track _someone_ down." My dad sighs

"Well, hopefully as soon as they wrap that case up, they can get back to Cat." I say "Or maybe they'll find information that can lead them to Cat."

I'm trying my best to remain optimistic here.

"Some people are so sick and twisted." My dad shakes his head "Who would take a girl from her family? Away from her life? It's just not right."

"Believe me, Dad. I know it's not."

* * *

 _Cat's POV_

"Ouch." I wince, tensing up my shoulders

"I'm sorry." Kate apologizes "I'm just trying to get them cleaned out. The big one on your back is definitely infected."

"It looks more than infected." Josie says, looking on with horror

Mark is a big fan of his whip, or his belt, or whatever the hell he uses to hit me. It cuts deep and leaves lacerations all over my back, neck, arms and thighs. I try my best to keep them clean, but they're constantly breaking open, especially when he keeps hitting me. The basement isn't the cleanest place in the world, so who _knows_ what kind of infections have started brewing.

"She'll be okay." Kate assures her "There's some scar tissue starting to form on some of them."

"Fantastic." I sigh

"Don't move that cloth away from your head." She warns "We need to stop the bleeding so you don't get light-headed."

A two inch gash right above my left eyebrow. Also Mark's handiwork.

"I eat less than a stray cat does and my body is constantly being pushed to it's limits." I remind her as I sit up, pulling my shirt back on "We passed light-headed a long time ago."

"Just be careful, okay?"

Footsteps start pounding down the stairwell and in a matter of seconds, Mark and Cole emerge through the door. They look frantic, they wear holsters on their hips with guns, something is up with both of them.

"No." Kate shakes her head as Cole heads for the bedroom "Cat already took her turn today, no one is going again!"

"Don't worry, there will be no more of that tonight." Mark says nervously

His brother emerges from the bedroom and tosses him a pair of handcuffs.

"Who's first?" He asks

"What?"

"Don't make me do this the hard way." He groans

When none of us volunteer, he nods towards Josie and Cole grabs her from behind, wrestling her to the ground and securing her wrists behind her back.

"No!" She squirms, trying to wriggle her way free "No, stop! Please!"

"Just hit her." Mark orders "I don't want to listen to her whine right now."

"I thought we were going to-"

"Just do it, Colton." Mark says through gritted teeth

Cole sighs and removes a handgun from the holster on his belt. He keeps Josie pressed against the ground with his knee and raises the gun above his head. Kate and I both look away as he brings the gun down hard against the back of Josie's head, knocking her unconscious.

"Anyone else feel like fighting with me?" He asks "No? Good. I didn't think so."

Cole steps over Josie and moves towards Kate as Mark moves towards me. He grabs my arms and pulls them behind my back, fascinating the handcuffs to my wrists. They're too tight and I can feel them starting to cut into my skin.

"Too tight?" He asks

"A little." I wince

"Good." He chuckles, pushing me to the ground so I land on a heap on the cement floor

My knees are going to be completely shot when I try to stand up, I can already tell.

"What's going on?" I ask, sitting back on my knees "Why the handcuffs?"

"It doesn't matter." Mark tells me "Now sweet dreams, precious Cat of mine."

"What?"

Pain shoots through my body as he hits me on the back of the head with his gun, causing me to fall to the ground once again. The last thing I see is Cole repeating the process with Kate as my eyes begin to slowly close, and I slip out of consciousness.


	23. Chapter 23

_Robbie's POV_

"They found a hair at the girl's house." I explain "They ran it through the database and found out the guy has a criminal record. Him and his brother have both dropped off the radar for the past two or three years, I guess that makes them prime suspects."

"Man, people are so sick." Jade shakes her head "Why on earth would someone physically take another person and hold them against their will unless they were seriously fucked up in the head?"

She follows me around the isles of Petsmart as I place miscellaneous items that had been left around the store back in their original places.

I visited with Mrs. Valentine before I came in to work this morning, and she gave me the most updated information she had from the police. I think everyone is hoping the lead on the suspects they have pans out the way the police expect it to, so that they can turn their attention back to finding Cat.

When I had texted Jade and told her I had new information, I asked if she wanted to meet up later to talk about it. But of course, Jade being Jade, she showed up at the pet store, too impatient to wait until six when I got off.

"They wouldn't." I shrug "Which is exactly why those guys have to be seriously messed up. I just hope they catch the bastards. We know what it feels like to have someone taken from us. If they can keep someone else from suffering..."

"Then they can get back to ending _our_ suffering." She reminds me

"Yeah." I agree "And there's that."

"Excuse me?" A women grabs my attention "Do you know where I might be able to find Beta food?"

"Beta like the fish?" I ask "Isle five."

"Thanks." The women smiles, walking away

I turn back to Jade, only to see that she's turned _her_ attention to her phone. So I continue walking to the next isle, she trails behind me.

"No fucking way..." She mutters, still staring at the screen "Speaking of the fucking devils."

"Okay, if my manager hears you swearing, she'll have my head on a platter." I sigh "So please-"

"Look!" She shoves the phone in my face

It's too close for me to actually read, so I push her hand back a few inches to actually focus on what she's trying to show me.

The phone displays an alert from a news app, with information regarding a police chase.

"So?" I ask "We live in Los Angeles, there's practically a car chase every other week."

"Did you not read?" She sighs "Marcus and Colton Varney! The police fucking found the bastards and they're trying to run!"

"Okay well they always end up catching the guys eventually." I remind her

"Exactly!" She exclaims "The police could be back to looking for Cat by the end of the day."

"Yeah I highly doubt that, those things take forever to process." I sigh "Stay here until they actually catch them, okay? You don't want to accidentally get caught up in the whole thing and get hurt somehow."

"I'll be fine." She rolls her eyes

"Jade, Cat would kill me if she found out I accidentally let anything happen to you." I say seriously "Just stay in the store, okay?"

"Fine." She sighs

* * *

 _Cat's POV_

When regain consciousness, I find myself in an environment similar to the one I found myself in close to two months ago when Cole and Mark snatched me from my job and brought me to the closest thing I hope I'll ever come to hell. But two months ago, I was alone. Now, Josie is next to me, and Kate lays on the floor at my feet.

Our hands have been repositioned so they're in front of our bodies now, our wrists bound with duct tape. Our ankles are also bound the same way, and patches of the grey tape cover our mouths as well.

We're being moved. Cole and Mark are trying to make it even harder for us to be found. They're moving us. But where? Are they going to kill us and then dump the bodies? Are they going to beat us and then just leave us somewhere to die a painful death? Thousands of scenarios run through my head, all frightening, and not a single one comforting.

When my eyes adjust to the lighting, I see that Josie is conscious too, her eyes full of fear. Kate's eyes are still closed, and for a second I think about nudging her with my feet, but it's probably best if I let her wake up on her own.

The vehicle we're in, I'm assuming it's a van, is traveling so fast I feel like I could get sick. But because of the duct tape covering my mouth, if I throw up I'll probably choke to death, so I pray that I don't. Not that I even could anyways, there's barely any food in my system at all.

In the distance, I can hear police sirens, and suddenly, everything makes sense.

They're trying to run.

They slipped up when they took Josie, and now the police are on to them. They're trying to run.

As the police sirens get louder, the speed of the vehicle increases.

My eyes meet Josie's and I wish there was a way for me to get this tape off my mouth. I wish I could tell her that everything is going to be fine, that this is all going to be over soon. There's a car chase in Los Angeles at least once a month, and the police always end up catching the guy.

This is all going to be over soon.

I'll be back with the people I love again soon. I'll be safe. At least I hope.

The terrain we drive on turns bumpy, jostling us around the back compartment of the van. Kate's eyes shoot open and I can see her breathing rapidly grow heavy, she's scared. I don't blame her.

Sirens fade and then grow louder again.

Idiots, they should've just left us in the basement if they really wanted to get away. I'm thankful they didn't, but they're so stupid.

The van comes to a short stop, rather abruptly, and there's the sound of slamming doors.

Now they're _actually_ running. That or we've finally been caught. It doesn't really matter to me, as long as the police figure out we're here.

The sound of several more slamming car doors ring through my ears, and the sound of sirens grow louder, then stay at a constant volume. I feel the ignition to the van suddenly cut off, and I look at Kate. I know she's thinking the same thing I am.

It's over.

The van is suddenly filled with bright light, so bright I have to close my eyes to avoid being blinded. Whatever it is, it's warm. Then it suddenly dawns on me...

 _It's sunlight._

"Uh...sir?" an unfamiliar voice fills my ears "You're gonna wanna come look at this..."

There's the sound of footsteps crunching on what I'll assume is dirt or gravel or something of the sort, followed by another voice.

"Oh shit..." The voice says "Well I'll be damned."


	24. Chapter 24

_Cat's POV_

The police officer reaches his hand out to pull the duct tape off my mouth, and I find myself retreating further into the van simply out of instinct. I haven't exactly had the best experience with men touching me in the past two months.

"Hey..." He says "Girls, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. You're with the good guys now, you're safe."

I know he is. I know he's one of the good guys. I know he's here to help me. I should let him help me. Why am I so skeptical?

"Don't worry, the two guys who were driving are cuffed and sitting in the back of squad cars. They can't hurt you anymore."

Josie looks to Kate, and then to me, then inches forward towards the edge of the van, towards the waiting officer.

He reaches out carefully and begins slowly removing the tape from her mouth. By the way her face tenses up, I can guess that it hurts. But once the tape is fully removed, she looks relieved. The officer places the piece of tape in a plastic bag and hands it to his partner.

"What's your name?" He asks her

"Josie..."

"Josie Bennett?"

She nods.

The officer turns to his partner, a smile on his face. His partner nods, then walks away, saying something into his radio that I can't quite make out, due to all the noise around us.

"See girls?" The officer still with us says "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. Can I take the tape off your mouths?"

"It's okay, guys..." Josie whispers "He's a good guy."

Kate and I exchange a glance. She nods and I slowly begin to scoot towards Josie, Kate follows behind me.

Slowly, the officer begins to peel off the tape that is covering my mouth. I know he's trying his best to be gentle, but I still find myself wincing as the sticky plastic is separated from my skin.

My tape is also placed in a plastic evidence bag and sealed off, as is Kate's when her turn comes. Now that I'm sitting on the edge of the back of the van, I find myself squinting, almost blinded by the sunlight. I can only imagine how Kate feels, she said she hasn't seen sunlight in almost two years.

"Can you tell me your names?" The officer asks us

"Katelyn Tyler." Kate says

I take a deep breath and look up at him.

"Caterina Valentine."

* * *

 _Robbie's POV_

"That's great." I grin, tears falling down my face

My parents watch me from across the kitchen, hopeful looks on both their faces.

They found Cat. And they found her alive.

She was in the back of that van that the police had been chasing all over the city earlier today, along with Josie Bennett, and another girl as well. All three of them are currently hospitalized, but all three of them are alive. And best of all, the men who were driving, who had kidnapped them and held them against their will, are in police custody.

"When can I come see her?" I ask

"I'm not sure yet, Robbie." Mr. Valentine tells me through the telephone "She's sedated right now."

"Why?"

"She's not too keen on male doctors having the ability to touch her, but she needed medical attention and there weren't any females on call so they had to sedate her so she wouldn't have a panic attack."

"Oh..."

"I know." He sighs ""They're going to wait until tomorrow before they do the rape kit, and then we'll see how she's doing after that."

"A rape kit?" I clarify, making sure I've heard him correctly

"Unfortunately."

"Oh my god..." I shake my head

"They weren't able to get much information out of her before they knocked her out, but they're doing them on all three girls just as a precaution, and so that the police can get some evidence. She'll be fine, Robbie. And I'm sure as soon as she's awake she'll be asking about you."

"Okay, well..." I sigh "Will you keep me updated, please?"

"Of course." He tells me "I'll talk to you later."

"Thanks, Mr. Valentine." I say before hanging up

"Well?" My mother looks at me hopefully as I stick my phone back into my pocket

"She's alive." I smile "She's in the hospital, but Cat's alive."

"Oh sweetheart." She grins, coming over to me and wrapping me up in a hug "I told you she was a strong girl, there was never a doubt in my mind that she'd be okay."

"Yeah." I nod "Yeah, but her dad was saying she's not comfortable with male doctors touching her and stuff like that. And that they're doing a rape kit on her in the morning. Those bastards hurt her."

I'm so conflicted, I don't know how to feel. I should be happy, ecstatic, jumping for joy because my girlfriend, who had been missing for two months, was just found alive. But I feel heartbroken. The men that took her, they hurt her. They made her feel like she can't trust people who are only trying to help her. I want to kill them. I want to make them feel the same pain that they made Cat feel, and those other girls too. Who can do that to someone and still be able to sleep at night?

Not a sane person, that's for sure.

"She's in good hands." My dad assures me "Those doctors are going to make sure she gets all the medical attention she needs, and that it's the best medical attention available. Don't worry."

"Have you called Jade? Does she know?" My mom asks

"Mr. Valentine said that Mrs. Valentine was calling her." I tell her "But I'm going to call her later too, see how she's handling it."

"Good." My mom nods "You two need to stick together for your friend's sake."

"I know, I know." I sigh "I can't wait to see her again, it's been so long."

"I bet she can't wait to see you either."


	25. Chapter 25

_Cat's POV_

I remember losing my shit when a paramedic tried to touch me.

I'm one hundred percent positive that he didn't have any negative intentions at all either, but I couldn't help it. All I could picture was Mark running his hand along the inside of my thighs, or Cole's knees digging into my sides as he tried to keep me pinned down against that god forsaken bed.

I remember a female police officer leading me to the back of an ambulance and helping me calm down, and then a female paramedic slipping a mask over my face. I don't remember anything after that.

I wake up in a hospital room. The tile floors, cardboard office ceilings, and floral wallpaper are a dead give away.

"Oh Cat..." A voice says

I turn my head and my eyes land on the recliner next to the bed I'm laying in. There sits my mother, book on her lap, a look of relief on her face.

"Mom." I feel the tears coming to my eyes "Mommy..."

"Sweetheart." She smiles, shifting from the chair to the side of my bed "It's okay, you're safe now."

"I...I..." I stammer "I didn't think I would ever see you again."

She doesn't say anything, just wraps me up in a hug as tears begin to stream down my face, violent sobs wracking my body.

"Shhhh..." She whispers, rubbing my back "I know, I know. I'm here, baby. I'm here."

"The...the other girls." I say "Kate, and Josie. Where are they?"

"They're here too." She assures me "They're with their families. You're all safe, those men can't hurt you anymore."

"Where's Dad?" I ask

"He's on the phone in the hallway." She nods towards the door "He's talking to your grandma. He'll be back soon."

"Okay..." I say, picking at the IV stuck in my arm

"Cat, sweetie. Don't play with that." My mother warns "Those are antibiotics, you need them to fight off your infection."

"Infection?"

"The cuts on your back are infected, sweetie." She sighs "Be careful when you lay back, the doctor said it could be painful."

"You'd be surprised what I can handle now." I sigh, wiping the tears off my face with the back of my hand, but hitting a tube in the process "What's this?"

It's running up my nose, and it feels like possibly down the back of my throat too.

"It's a feeding tube." She tells me, but is quick to justify it when I become visibly upset "The food you've had to eat the past few months hasn't been of the highest quality. The doctor is afraid if we re-introduce you to food that is too rich, too fast, you'll get even sicker. The feeding tube is there to bring nutrients back into your system until you gain some strength back. It will help you gain some weight back too."

"How much do I weigh?" I ask her

"Around eighty pounds." She sighs

"Oh my god." I gasp

I lost thirty pounds in two months. And my body is crawling with infections. And I can't eat normal food.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god..." I panic

"Cat? Sweetheart? Look at me." My mom takes my hands in hers "You're going to be okay, I promise."

"What's the matter, sweet pea?" My dad asks entering the room

"It's just...I'm just...a little freaked out is all." I tell him

He sits down on the side of the bed opposite my mother. He moves towards me, like he's going to hug me. But I flinch out of instinct, and he backs away.

"No, shit..." I shake my head "I know you're not going to hurt me, Dad. It's just instinct."

I reach my arms out and he hugs me. His embrace is familiar and comforting, I don't feel threatened at all.

"It's alright, sweetheart." He whispers to me "You're safe now. No one is going to hurt you."

* * *

"I don't want to see him." I shake my head "Well, I do. I _really_ do. But I don't want him to see me like _this_. I'm disgusting. Look at me."

"Cat, sweetheart. The boy has been going crazy for two months worrying about you." My mother sighs "He loves you, he's not going to care what you look like."

Robbie loved the me he knew before Mark and Cole. The me who wasn't incredibly malnourished and forty pounds under weight. The me who didn't flinch every time a male other than my father comes within ten feet of me. The one who was beautiful, not the one who looks like she literally spent two months in hell.

"Mom I..."

"You what, sweetheart?"

"I don't want him to leave me."

"Honey, if he was going to leave, he would've left two months ago." She reminds me "And so what if he does leave? Then he's not worth your time anyway, right?"

"It's not that simple anymore, Mom. I'm different now. Those men...that basement...they changed who I am. I'm not the same Cat I was two months ago, what if he doesn't like who I am now?"

"He loves you, I can hear it in his voice every time I talk to him." She assures me

"You talk to him often?" I raise an eyebrow at her

"At least once a week since you've gone missing." She nods "Most of the time, more than that. He really does care. He's dying to see you."

"I'm dying to see him..." I admit, looking down at my hands

They're cut and bruised. Not like a girl's should be, not at all.

"At least call him." She suggests "I bet hearing each other's voices would do you both some good."


	26. Chapter 26

_Robbie's POV_

One...two...three days have passed and I'm still not allowed up to the hospital to see Cat.

I understand that the first day or so, they only want family around. And I understand that she may not be in the best condition, but that doesn't lessen my want to see her any.

I want to hold her in my arms and tell her that everything is okay again, that she doesn't need to worry because as long as I'm around, she'll never have to worry about anything or anyone hurting her ever again. I want her to hide her face in my shirt, like she does when she's tired, and watch her muscles relax as her soul does the same. I want to tell her a terrible joke and hear her laugh as she pretends that it's funny. I want to hold her hand, kiss her cheek, kiss her lips.

But if she's not ready, I'm in no position to force her.

I've talked to either her mom or her dad over the phone everyday since the police brought her back to us. They say she's doing about as well as she possibly could be, given her condition when she came in. Her cuts are still heavily infected, so they're keeping her on antibiotics around the clock. Her mom says she's having trouble sleeping, and really, who could blame her? Even though she hasn't yet felt comfortable enough to open up about what she went through wherever she was, what they did to her, anyone can easily see it took a brutal toll on her.

Normally, I'm not a violent person. I'm not easily angered, most of the time my temper is cool. But when I think about the fact that Marcus and Colton Varney took my girlfriend away from me, from her friends, from her family, I feel like a different person. I want to yell, and scream, and destroy anything and everything that I can see. But I can't do that. Not for Cat's sake. So instead I have to channel my anger into something else, something more civil. I have to go for a run, or I have to go to the gym. I need to keep my cool.

At the end of the third day that has passed since Cat was rescued, I'm helping my mom clean up dinner as my phone starts to ring. I look down and see that the caller ID belongs to Mrs. Valentine.

"It's Cat's mom." I say "Do you mind if I take this?"

Hopefully, it's good news. Like her infection is getting better, or she's finally comfortable enough to see me.

"No of course not, go ahead." My mom assures me "I can handle cleaning up."

"Thanks." I smile, pressing my phone to my ear and stepping into the next room "Hi, Mrs. Valentine."

"Robbie..."

"Cat." I gasp, almost dropping the phone "Oh...oh my god."

Her voice is different. It doesn't carry her signature chipper tone, she doesn't sound as happy as she usually does. It sounds heavy, like just saying my name took so much effort, like she's carrying a heavy baggage on her back. And I can only assume that she is.

"I..." She hesitates "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Cat." I smile, wiping a tear off my cheek "You have no idea how happy I am to hear your voice."

"I could say the same for you." She says "It feels amazing to finally hear a familiar voice."

She missed me too.

"I can only imagine." I admit "How...how are you?"

Was that an insensitive thing to ask? I mean, of course she's not well. She was kidnapped! But what else am I supposed to say?

"I'm not that great, to be one hundred percent honest with you. I've been much better." She sighs "But my mom was right, talking to you is already helping me feel so much better."

"I told you it would." Mrs. Valentine says, somewhere off in the background

"Well, I'm happy to help in any way that I can." I grin "Have you talked to Jade yet? She really misses you."

I feel like _really_ is a major understatement.

"I talked to her before I called you, actually." She tells me "I'm sorry, Robbie. Please don't be mad, it's just that guys seem to make me a little uneasy..."

"I'm not mad, Cat." I assure her "I wouldn't want you to have to do anything that puts you in an uncomfortable situation."

"God, I don't deserve you."

"No, baby, I don't deserve _you_." I correct her

There's almost complete silence on the other line, and I know immediately I've said something I shouldn't have. Although, I'm not exactly sure what that something is.

"Cat?" I say "Whatever it was I said I'm-"

"No." She cuts me off "Don't apologize, it's not your fault. None of this is your fault."

"It's not yours either." I remind her "Remember that."

"I know." She tells me "I know it's not."

"You don't sound very confidant."

"Robbie..."

Her voice is quivering now, I've pushed to far yet again.

"Jesus...Cat I'm sorry." I apologize "I'm being inconsiderate."

"No, stop. You're perfect." She assures me "It's just, being able to only hear your voice and not see your face...it's...it's making me anxious."

"Oh..."

"Will you come see me?" She blurts out "Not tonight, but in the morning? I miss you, Robbie. I wanna see your face."

"Of course." I nod "Just name the time and I'll be there."

"10:00?" She says it like a question, but I assume she's also trying to get confirmation from her mother as well "Yeah, Robbie. 10:00."

"I'll be there." I say

"Thank you." She sounds relieved

"Of course." I smile "Hey Cat? I love you."

"I love you too, Robbie. I'll see you at ten?"

"See you at ten."

We say goodbye and hang up, I shove my phone back in my pocket and return to help my mom.

Fourteen hours until I get to see my girlfriend's beautiful face again.


	27. Chapter 27

_Robbie's POV_

I untie the laces on my left high-top sneaker and retie them again for probably the sixth time since I've been sitting in the waiting room.

You could say I'm nervous.

I'm regretting not dressing up, I should've dressed up. I haven't seen Cat in two months, I should've presented myself better. I mean, I'm in jeans and a nice button down shirt. That's better than the normal shorts and a t-shirt I normally wear during the summer months, right? Should I have gone with a tie?

I just want to give her what she wants.

She said she wants to see my face. So, it won't matter what I'm wearing, right?

"Robbie." A voice says

I look up to see Mrs. Valentine standing in the doorway.

I grab the bouquet of flowers I picked up on my way here off the plastic waiting room chair next to me and stand up, moving to meet her.

Will Cat even want these?

Why am I worrying so much?

"Hey there, kiddo." Mrs. Valentine smiles, wrapping me up in a hug "It's good to see you again. I feel like it's been forever."

"I was over last week." I remind her

"Yeah well, the past few days have been such a blur, it's easy to lose track of time " She tells me "Come on, her room is this way."

I follow her through the doorway, past a desk, and we start down the hallway.

"I should probably warn you..." Mrs. Valentine says "She's a little nervous to see you."

"Oh?"

Well I'm nervous too, so I can't really blame her.

"Robbie." She stops walking and turns to face me "I know you're probably thinking that you're just as nervous, but we're talking about a different kind of nervous here. She's been through a lot, and I'll leave it up to her what she wants to tell you. But she's still recovering and it's going to take a lot for her to be herself again. So just be respectful of her wishes, okay?"

"Of course." I nod "Mrs. Valentine, I would never _ever_ do anything that would hurt her."

"I know you wouldn't kiddo..." She reaches out and touches my arm "But it's the littlest things, and it's usually not intentional. So just be careful, okay?"

"Okay."

"She's right in there." She nods towards the nearest hospital room "I'll be in the cafeteria downstairs. You've got my number, call if you need anything."

"Thanks, Mrs. Valentine."

"No problem." She smiles, turning and walking back down the hallway

I reach up and knock gently on the doorframe, clutching the flowers tightly in my hand.

"Yeah." A voice calls from inside

I take a deep breath and push the door open, entering the room.

"Robbie." Cat gasps

She's smiling, but she looks incredibly tense.

"Hi." I grin

It's been forever since I saw her.

She's different. She's thinner, _way_ thinner. Her face is bruised, as are her arms and hands. She's covered in cuts and scrapes, and she looks absolutely exhausted.

"I know..." She sighs "I'm a little scary looking."

"No Cat I-"

"Don't." She sticks a hand up, stopping me from saying anything further "Robbie, I look like a fucking zombie, okay? You don't have to pretend I don't. Please come over here, I'm not going to bite you."

"Alright..." I say, inching closer to her bed

Her personality seems off, she seems different. But I guess she has every reason to be different.

"I got you these..." I tell her, holding up the bouquet of lilies in my hand before setting them down on the table "Lilies, your favorite, right?"

"Right." She smiles

I sit down on the bed next to her and her body noticeably tenses up.

"Shit..." She mutters beginning to cry

"What's the matter?" I ask her "Are you okay?"

She shakes her head no.

"Do you want me to get a doctor?"

She shakes her head no again.

"Alright, alright..." I try my best to comfort her "Cat, I really want to help you, okay? But I can't if you don't tell me what's wrong."

"I'm crying because I'm not supposed to be afraid of you!" She snaps

"You're afraid of me?"

My worst fear is apparently reality, she's afraid of me.

"I don't want to be!" She cries "I know you'd never, ever hurt me! It's just...all men make me nervous now. Even my dad sometimes..."

I slide off the bed and onto the floor so I'm kneeling next to the bed.

"Cat, look at me." I say "Please..."

Every part of me wants to grab her face and press the longest, most passionate kiss in the history of sappy teenage romance to her lips. But I can't do that, it would just be downright mean to put her in that uncomfortable of a position.

"Cat..."

She wipes the tears from her eyes and turns her head towards me, not looking me in the eye, but instead staring above and behind my head.

"I promise I will never hurt you." I whisper

"I know you won't." She frowns "It's not supposed to be like this. You were supposed to come in here and make me feel at ease because I knew that you're the one person who really, truly, loves me and cares about my well-being."

"Your parents love you and care about you. And so does Jade." I remind her "And Tori, and Beck and Andre."

"Not that kind of love, Robbie..." She sighs "Romantic love, you know what I'm talking about."

Carefully, I reach forward and take her hand gently in mine. I can tell it makes her nervous, the muscles in her arm tense up and her breathing intensifies.

"It's okay." I promise her "We're gonna take this slow, alright? I just want you to be happy."


	28. Chapter 28

_Cat's POV_

I didn't have a choice, I had to tell Robbie I wanted to see him, even if I wasn't one hundred percent ready to.

Talking on the phone and only being able to hear his voice gave me the most terrible anxiety. It reminded me of when Cole would blindfold me and I wouldn't be able to see him, only hear him. And I couldn't bring myself to shut Robbie out, I really did miss him, I really do want him around. I just can't help what my anxiety is.

He's being so good to me too. He's respecting my boundaries, but being so compassionate at the same time. I broke down and told him everything. About Emma, about Lena and about Kate and Josie. About how Mark and Cole barely fed us, how abusive they were.

How they raped us.

How they brought their friends home one night, and let them rape us too. How they saw us as objects instead of people, like property that they owned and could do whatever they wanted too.

I can tell it makes him mad. His eyebrows become furrowed and his jaw locks up, just like any other time he's gotten angry. But I can tell he's trying his best to stay calm for my sake. He's so good in that way, he has my best interest in mind, just like he always has.

I feel awful because he probably had something different in mind when I told him he could come see me, probably something along the lines of a sappy reunion in a teen romance movie. I know that's sort of something along the lines that I was thinking of, but I guess being in that basement made everything about the outside world seem like some kind of fantasy.

Robbie is laying on the couch next to my hospital bed, holding my hand. It's about as comfortable as I'm with him being right now, and he's being totally respectful.

"You look like you've been working out..." I say to him

It's true. He looks like he's bulked up a little bit, gained a little more muscle mass. And maybe even dropped a couple pounds.

"A little." He shrugs "I needed to find some way to manage the stress I was feeling. I figured I might as well do it in a positive way."

"I'm sorry you were stressed." I say, looking down at my hands

"Don't be..." Robbie sits up, but doesn't let go of my hand "It's not your fault. It doesn't even matter anymore, okay? All that matters is that you're back with us now, and that you're safe."

"I don't feel all that safe, to be completely honest." I admit

"Cat, those guys can't hurt you anymore. The police have them locked away, there's no way they'll ever be able to get out."

"I'll have to see them again when we go to court." I remind him "God I don't know if I'll be able to handle that..."

Just the thought of Mark and Cole sitting next to each other, under close watch of their lawyer at the Defendant's bench makes me start to get worked up. I can just see the smug looks on their faces now as they try to plead 'Not Guilty' to the list of charges the lawyer that Josie, Kate and I will share tries to throw at them.

"Hey hey hey..." Robbie rubs his thumb over my knuckles, trying to comfort me "Take a deep breath, you're safe."

"I'm safe." I repeat, closing my eyes "I'm safe, I'm safe, I'm safe."

"We don't have to talk about that right now if you don't want to." He tells me

"I don't know how I'm going to talk to the police..." I shake my head "They want a statement from me. My mom says I don't have to talk until I'm ready...but I don't know if I ever will be."

"You deserve to wait and take all the time you need." He assures me "God Cat, you're so strong, you know that?"

"Don't pull that on me right now..." I beg "I spent all morning talking to therapists that tried drilling the exact same thing into my head, I just want to put my mind on something else for a little while."

"Sorry..." He apologizes

"No, Robbie...shit..." I mutter "You're not doing anything wrong. You're being perfect, actually. Don't apologize."

"I just want to help you." He admits "I hate seeing you hurt, it hurts me too."

Again, another perfect response.

I don't deserve him.

"Hi there!" A nurse enters my room "Are you hungry?"

"Not for that..." I sigh, spotting the bag of off-white, liquefied food tucked under her arm

"I know, it really sucks." She says as she starts to hook the bag up to the tube that runs through my nose and down to my stomach "But hopefully it's only for a few more days."

"What is that?" Robbie asks

"It's my lunch."

"This bag is full of a special dietary formula that contains all of the vitamins, minerals, and calories that Cat would need to intake at a regular meal." The nurse explains "I just hook this bag up to the tube, and the tube carries it down into her stomach."

"It hurts." I admit

"I know it does, kiddo. Like I said, hopefully not much longer. I'll be back in a little while, okay?"

"Kay..." I sigh as she exits the room again "You know, I've heard the food here sucks, but I'd take anything over this."

"Why does the tube have to go in through your nose?" Robbie looks mortified

"If it went through my mouth I wouldn't be able to talk."

"Oh."

"Yeah..."

We sit in silence for a few minutes, the only sound in the room coming from the pump that's feeding me.

"Thank you for coming to see me." I finally say "I know it wasn't really what either of us had in mind but-"

"Don't thank me." Robbie says "I love you, I had to see you, it didn't matter under what kind of conditions."

"Say that again...?" I smile

"I love you." He repeats, as if he knew exactly what I was referencing

It's been forever since I've heard him say that. It's something familiar that made me feel instantly so much better.

"I love you too." I tell him

Saying it back feels just as great.


	29. Chapter 29

_Robbie's POV_

"She's different now." I say to Jade

"Wouldn't you be?" Jade shakes her head "God, this is so unfair. Cat was the sweetest, most innocent person on the face of the planet. How could they do something like that to her?"

"She still is the sweetest person on the planet." I tell her "I can still see bits of the Cat that I used to know. She's in there somewhere..."

"Robbie...she's never going to be the same again. You know that, don't you?"

Unfortunately, I do. The things that Cat experienced in that basement are going to haunt her for the rest of her life. The most painful thing of all is that I can't do anything to make her forget, all I can do is help her try to move on.

"I know." I sigh "We just have to be there for her. Every step of the way, she needs us."

"She does." Jade agrees "Do you think she'd be okay with me going up to visit her?"

"Absolutely." I nod "She misses you like crazy, she told me so. And I think she could use a friend right now, to be completely honest."

"What about you?" She asks "She has you too."

"It's complicated..."

"You didn't break up, did you?" She exclaims "Robbie Shapiro, I swear to god if you broke up with her not even three days after-"

"Would you calm down?" I sigh "No, we didn't break up. But if you were in her situation, wouldn't the idea of being intimate with a guy make you uncomfortable? Even if it was your boyfriend?"

"Yeah, okay. I guess you have a point there." She bites her lip

"She could use some cheering up, Jade." I remind her "You should go."

* * *

 _Cat's POV_

"Cat, sweetie?" My mom shakes my arm "Are you awake?"

"Yeah." I open my eyes "Yeah, I'm awake."

"Oh I'm sorry." She apologizes "We're you sleeping?"

"No." I shake my head "I wasn't. What's up?"

I'm too paranoid to sleep. I have to bring myself to the point of complete and total exhaustion before my body finally takes over and just shuts itself down. Even then, it's not a good sleep, it's light. And it's almost completely dominated by nightmares. I'm aware that it's not good for me, I know it's not healthy. But I don't have any other options, every time I close my eyes, I'm back in that basement with Kate and Josie, waiting for Mark or Cole to come violate us.

"There's somebody here to see you." She tells me "Are you up for a visitor?"

"Sure." I nod

No offense to my mom, but I'm itching for someone else to come sit with me. Besides my dad and Robbie, she's the only person who has been here to see me. Which is both a blessing and a curse. I feel like if too many people come at once, I'll be overwhelmed.

"Here." My mom opens the door to my room "She's awake, come on in."

"Hey, Cat." Jade smiles, entering the room

"Jade!" I exclaim

I hold my arms up and she rushes over to my bed to hug me.

I feel like I could cry. I missed her _so_ much. I missed everyone, but Jade is basically a sister to me.

"Will you two be okay if I run home to shower?" My mom asks "Maybe change clothes?"

"Yeah yeah, that's fine." I nod "We'll be okay."

I know I'm safe with Jade here with me. Not just because she's scary and could fight someone off, that's part of it. But also because she's my best friend, and I know that she'd never even _dream_ of doing anything to hurt me.

"I missed you so much." She tells me

"I missed you too."

I look in her dead in the eyes and I can tell that she's fighting the urge to cry. Jade West never cries, ever. Unless something really terrible and awful happens.

My emotions suddenly overcome me and I break down crying in her arms.

"They were such terrible people..." I sob "They..they..."

"Shh...I know." She whispers, rubbing my back "I know, Robbie told me everything. You didn't deserve that, Cat. You're such a good person. Always remember you're a good person."

"Th-th-that's n-nn-ot what I wanted my first time to be like!" I exclaim "I wanted it to be romantic, and gentle, and when I was ready! I wanted it to be with Robbie!"

"That's not what anyone wants their first time to be like..." She sighs, hugging me tighter "They caught those guys, they're gonna get what they deserve."

"They still ruined me!"

"Hey." She pushes me back to look me in the eye "You're not ruined, okay? You're not even close. Screw what people say, you can have a do-over first time when you're good and ready. It will be romantic and gentle, just like you've always dreamed about it being."

"But it won't be with Robbie..."

"You don't know that."

"No, I do." I sniff "I'm too damaged, he's going to leave me."

"No he won't, Cat." She shakes her head "Come on, this is _Robbie_ we're talking about here."

"He was here yesterday and I wouldn't even let him hug me!" I tell her "All I would let him do was hold my hand. He's going to get sick waiting around and dump me!"

"Oh Cat, no he won't..." She assures me "He was heartbroken over you're disappearance up until a few days ago when they found you. He called Detective Vega _every day_ for updates on your case."

"He did?"

"Yeah, he did." She laughs "Most of the time it was information he had already heard from me or your parents, but he never stopped asking. That boy loves you, Cat. I couldn't see it until they took you, but he really _really_ does. He's going to be as patient as you need him to be, I'm sure of it."

"Really?"

"Absolutely." She nods, reaching into her bag "Does this room have a DVD player?"

"It does." I point to the device below the TV mounted on the wall "I haven't used it yet, I don't know how it works. Why?"

"I have a whole collection of Disney movies in my bag here." She smiles "And I even went out and bought new pink nail polish, just for _you_. Because let's be real here, we both know I don't own any."

"No of course not." I smirk

She's always known just what will make me feel better, and now is no exception.


	30. Chapter 30

_Cat's POV_

"Where'd you find nail polish?" Kate asks me, admiring my fingers

"Oh, my best friend came to visit yesterday, and she brought it." I tell her "She did my toes too."

"Lucky." She chuckles "My sister has been coming to see me, but I'd have to start severing limbs before I could get her to do my nails."

"I'm basically the only person Jade would do it for." I shrug "If it were anybody else, she would've strangled them."

Today, my doctor thought it would be a good idea for me to get up and try walking around for a bit, rather than just laying in my bed all day. My first thought was to go visit Kate and Josie, see how they're doing. I tried Josie's room first, as it was closest to mine. But when I got there, it was empty. A nurse that passed by in the hallway told me that she had already been discharged. So I continued down the hallway to Kate's room, but started to feel light-headed about halfway there, and I had to stop and lean on my IV pole. One of _my_ nurses luckily passed and was able to help me walk the rest of the way. She told me I could stay for an hour, but then it would probably be best for me to go back to bed.

So here I am.

"I'm about ready to strangle this feeding tube." Kate scowls, pulling at the plastic tube in her nose, similar to the one that has been feeding me for the past five days since we've been here

"I know, aren't they the worst?" I agree "I'd almost rather have to start living off of shitty sandwiches and oranges again then have baby formula pumped into me through my nose."

We both become quiet at the mention of the past, the only reality we both knew up until five days ago. It's finally Kate who breaks the silence again.

"Is it really baby formula?" She asks "Like, the kind they feed the newborns here?"

"I doubt it." I sigh "It's what it looks like though, and I'm sure it's the same concept."

"Gross."

"I know."

"So did you see Josie at all?"

"She's gone." I tell her "Apparently they discharged her this morning."

"Makes sense." Kate shrugs "She was only there for about ten days. That's not really long enough to effect her health too dangerously."

"I guess not." I sigh "But we didn't even get her information. I would've liked to have stayed in contact with her..."

"We'll see her again." Kate assures me "We're all going to have to testify against them in court anyways."

"Yeah, don't remind me." I groan "Have you talked to the police yet?"

"Yesterday." She nods "Have you?"

"I can't bring myself to." I admit "I poured my heart out to my boyfriend a few days ago and I could barely handle it. I didn't even go into the depth that the police are going to want..."

"They have a general idea already of what you've been through." She reminds me "They won't push you further than you're willing to go."

"I know, but the idea of it still scares me."

"You survived literal hell, Cat." She chuckles "You can handle a few police officers."

"It's almost worst the second time though..." I sigh "Whatever, I don't want to think about it. Let's talk about something else."

"Agreed." She nods "So...you said your boyfriend came...?"

"Yeah." I smile "We were talking on the phone, but I couldn't see his face, only hear is voice...and it reminded me of when I was blindfolded, so I asked him to come here and see me instead, and he did. I figured he'd run the other direction when he saw what being down there has done to me...but he didn't."

"Good man."

"He really is." I sigh "I told him I wasn't comfortable with loving and touching and all of that yet, because, well, you know. And he was so respectful and understanding, he just held my hand and listened to me talk. And then when I was done talking he just sat there and was...with me. It was so familiar, it was comforting."

"Sounds nice." She admits "The only people who have come to see me are my parents and my sister so far, and they just sit there and watch me like I could disappear at any second."

"Well that's how they lost you the first time, you can't blame them for being concerned." I remind her "Hey, the bruising on your shoulder looks _so_ much better."

"I know." She looks down, smirking "It doesn't hurt as bad anymore either."

"You look less like a zombie now." I chuckle

"So do you." She laughs "Seriously though, you look less sickly."

"Thanks." I shrug

"Whatcha got on that IV pole?" She asks

"Well, usually they'll hang the bag of food up there when it's connected to the tube, but I ate about an hour ago." I explain "So right now it's just antibiotics for the infection."

"Infection?"

"Those lacerations on my back from the whips and the belts?" I remind her "They're apparently hella infected."

"I feel that..." She sighs, holding up her arm, which is covered in bandages "Hey did...did they do a rape kit on you?"

I nod.

"The police ordered them on all three of us."

"Have you gotten your results back yet?" She asks

"I did..." I nod "They found evidence that Mark and Cole had both...been there. But I'm clean, no STI's or anything like that. And I'm not pregnant."

"Same." She says, I can tell she's about to cry "We got so lucky."

"I know." I sigh "Somebody was looking out for us."


	31. Chapter 31

_Cat's POV_

"Cat." Tori's father smiles, entering my hospital room "It's good to see you again."

"Hi, Mr. Vega." I manage to smile "Are you the one they sent to interrogate me?"

I figured the sooner I talk to the police and make a statement, the sooner this whole thing will be over and I can get back to my normal life.

Or as close to normal as I can possibly get.

"No, I'm not." He shakes his head "But I wanted to introduce you to the person who will. Cat, I'd like you to meet my boss, Lieutenant Samantha Joiner."

"Hi Cat." The woman behind him smiles "It's nice to meet you, although I wish it was under different circumstances."

"I'll leave you two to it." Mr. Vega says, stepping out into the hallway and closing the door behind him

"I'll be outside if you need anything." My mom touches my arm, then gets up and follows him, leaving me alone with the Lieutenant

"Just for the record, I'm not here to _interrogate_ you..." Lieutenant Joiner assures me, walking over and sitting down on the couch next to my bed "I'm just simply here to ask you a few questions and get your side of the story."

"No offense, Lieutenant..." I sigh "But any question I get asked these days seems to feel like an interrogation."

"I don't want you to feel nervous." She tells me "I'm here to help you, remember? Would you be okay if I set up my camera over there? It's for your safety and credibility."

"Sure."

"Alright, it will only take a minute or two."

Samantha Joiner isn't a very big woman. She's of average height, and she looks very strong, but she's not what I would expect a police lieutenant to look like. I have to give her props though for making her way into such a high position in a career field mainly dominated by men.

"There we are." The lieutenant sighs, sitting down on the couch again "We're recording now. I'm also going to record our conversation on this audio recorder, okay? It's for safety and credibility also."

"Okay."

"Alright, would you please state your full name for me?"

"First, middle, last?"

"Yes please."

"Caterina Hannah Valentine." I state "I go by Cat."

"And how old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"Excellent." She sighs "Okay, Cat, would you please describe the events of the night you were taken from memory as best as you can?"

"Sure." I nod "I was leaving work, the Jet Vroom on Fourth, around 10:30 at night. I left through the back door because I had already locked up the storefront. I was walking through the back alley, on my way out to my car, when I dropped my keys. When I bent down to pick them up, someone came up behind me and grabbed me. He had one arm around my waist, and the other around my head. He told me that if I made any noise, he would snap my neck and kill me. After that, he hit me with something and I blacked out. When I woke up, I was in the back of a van."

I shudder at the memory. It's still so fresh in my mind, and it's not any less scarier now, even if it did happen two and a half months ago.

"Can you confirm that the man was either Marcus or Colton Varney?"

"I never saw his face, but I came to recognize the voice as Cole's." I tell her "And he used to brag about being the one who 'brought me in'...so I'm pretty positive it was him."

"Let's continue...where did they take you?"

"I'm not really sure..." I admit "It was dark when they pulled me out of the van, the light from the porch light didn't reach very far, so I couldn't really make anything out when I was looking around, and Kate thinks the blow I took to the head gave me a concussion...but anyways, they brought me into a house. It seemed like a normal house, nothing strange about it. But they opened a door and threw me down a flight of stairs, and at the bottom of the stairs there was another door that led to the basement where they kept us."

"Describe the basement, please."

"There were four mattresses on the floor." I tell her, wringing my hands together to try and keep myself from having an anxiety attack "That's all that was in the main room, just four bare mattresses for us to sleep on. There was a small bathroom for us to use, but it only had a toilet and a sink, nothing else. And the water pressure from the sink was horrendous, but it was the only source of water that we had. Um, next to the bathroom, there was another room...there was a bed and a dresser and that's where they would take us to...to rape us."

"Okay, Cat...I realize that this might be difficult for you to talk about but-"

"If it gets them locked away forever, I don't care." I say flatly, trying my best to fight back tears, looking down "Cole liked to handcuff me to the metal headboard so I couldn't use my arms to fight back. The first time, he...he cut my clothes off with a knife, every time after that he would hold me at knifepoint until I stripped everything off. He was the more tamer of the two, he would just get in, use me for... what he wanted, and get out. Mark...he...he liked to watch me suffer a bit first. He would lay me on my back and hit me with either a belt or a whip...I never actually did find out it was. I was _always_ blindfolded with Mark...always...gagged too, so...so I wouldn't be able to scream or cry out in pain. Then...he'd flip me over and have his way with me. Sometimes he'd cut me with his knife, once or twice he u-used a l-l-lighter and b-b-burned my skin...I...I...I..."

"We can be done for now, if you'd like." Lieutenant Joiner says

"Please." I sob, covering my face with my hands

"It was very brave of you to open up like this, Cat." She stands up, turns off the camera and returns to my bedside "Can I get you anything? Maybe a glass of water or something like that?"

"S-s-s-send my mom back in." I stutter "Please."

"Of course." She nods, then exits the room

Within a matter of seconds, my mother is back in the room, holding me in her arms will I sob into her shoulder.


	32. Chapter 32

_Robbie's POV_

"They're probably going to discharge me tomorrow..." Cat says, staring down at her hands "I've been eating real food again and it hasn't made me sick."

"That's great news." I smile "It will be good to have you home again."

"I dunno..." She shrugs

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know if I'll feel safe at home." She sighs "So many more people will have access to me."

"Cat, those horrible men are locked up under some of the highest security in the area, they're never going to be able to hurt you ever again." I assure her

Every part of me wants to jump off this couch, take her face in my hands and press a long, passionate kiss to her lips. I want to find a way to make her believe that she's actually safe again, that everybody is going to do everything in their power to protect her, myself included. But I don't want to touch her the wrong way and give her an anxiety attack, all she's comfortable with right now is holding my hand from a distance.

And who could blame her?

After the stories she's told me, I'm surprised she's managing as well as she is.

"I still don't know." She says

"Well hey, the sooner you're out of here, the sooner things will start to get back to normal." I remind her "Right?"

"I honestly don't know if my life is ever going to be normal again." She looks up at me "That basement is going to haunt me for the rest of my life."

"I wish there was something I could do to make it better." I admit "I really, really do. Just say the word, and I'll find a way to make it happen, I promise."

"Can you turn back time?" She sighs "Because that's honestly the _only_ way I think you could completely fix things."

This time it's my turn to stare down at my hands.

"Shit...I'm sorry, Robbie." She apologizes "I know you're only trying to help."

"Don't apologize." I shake my head "None of this is your fault."

"God I wish people would stop saying that to me." She groans, leaning back against her bed "You, my parents, my therapists, the lawyers..."

"Lawyers?"

"My parents are pressing charges." She tells me "So are Josie's, and Kate is pressing them herself. I would do it, but I'm still technically a minor."

"So there's going to be a huge court case?" I ask

"Unfortunately..." She nods "We'll definitely win, they're obviously guilty. But I'm going to have to spend god knows how many days sitting in the same room as those two men, staring at them, thinking about what they did to me...I don't know if I'm going to be able to do it..."

"I'll be right there with you." I promise her "I'll keep you safe from them."

Nobody hurts _my_ Cat and gets away with it.

"Thank you..."

"You know I'd do anything for you, right?" I ask her

"Yeah, I know."

"And you know I'm going to support you through this entire thing, right?" I add "I still love you just the same as I did three months ago."

"I still love you too." She frowns "I wish I could show you in some way other than holding your hand...but I'm not ready yet..."

"And I completely understand that." I assure her "I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

"Good."

* * *

"So how is Cat doing?" My dad asks at dinner later that night

"She's doing better." I tell him "I actually think they're going to let her go home tomorrow."

"Wow." His face lights up "That's great!"

"The first few days are probably going to be very rough." My mom says "Good lord, I can't even imagine what that girl is going through..."

"It hurts, seeing her so miserable." I admit "And there's not a whole lot I can really do for her..."

"You can be supportive." My mom reminds me

"Yes, I know." I sigh "But I wish I could do more than that."

"The more time that passes, the more she'll start to readjust." My dad shrugs "Just be patient."

We finish eating and I help my mom clean up, just like every other night. Then, I retreat upstairs to my room.

Jade had called earlier and talked about the possibility of getting our friends together and throwing a 'Welcome Home' get together for Cat when she gets home. But I talked her out of it...it probably wouldn't be the best idea. She's going to need some time to adjust, I suggested we do it in a few weeks, when she'll probably handle it better.

Tomorrow is going to be a big day for Cat, and it will probably come as a shock to her system. She'll have the ability to move freely throughout her house whenever she pleases, she'll get to eat normal food again, and she'll get to sleep in her own bed. All good things.

But there will also be newspapers calling her house, wanting to talk to her and be the first to break the 'exclusive story'. There will be lawyers calling, offering to represent her, even though her parents have already picked one. There will be assholes who think they're funny and will try to mess with her head. All _not_ so good things.

I need to be ready to help her through all of the good and the bad, to support her in whatever way she needs. She's my girlfriend and I love her, and nothing could ever happen to her that would make me change my mind.


	33. Chapter 33

_Cat's POV_

"It feels so weird to be wearing normal clothes again..." I admit

I've worn a hospital gown for the past two and a half weeks. Before that, I was wearing the disgusting navy green tank top and sweatpants Mark and Cole gave me no choice but to wear. By the time they found me, both articles of clothing were almost completely covered in dry blood, both my own, and Lena's.

I look down at the clothes I have on, the one's my mother brought me to wear home from the hospital. A pair of denim shorts, an old Hollywood Arts t-shirt, and a pair of Vans. Probably not the outfit I would've picked, given my own choice, but these clothes are mine, they belong to me. And that's a step towards normal.

"Well it's fantastic to see you wearing them again." My mother smiles "Are you ready to go home?"

"I think so."

She smiles, hoisting the straps of her purse even higher up onto her shoulder, and wraps an arm around me. Together, we start walking out of the hospital room.

I said goodbye to Kate this morning, the doctors said they want her here at least another week. Mark and Cole had her for so much longer, so the damage was far more worse. We exchanged phone numbers, and I told her to call me as soon as she had access to her cell phone again. We've been through too much together to just cut off contact entirely.

My father is waiting in front of the hospital in my mother's silver CR-V. The second I step out of the front doors, sunlight hits me and I'm blinded, but at the same time the warmth that covers my skin is so comforting. I had a window in my hospital room, so of course I had _seen_ the sun, but I haven't had a _real_ chance to enjoy it's warmth in such a long time. It's another step towards normal.

My mom opens the car door for me and I climb into the backseat. We've only had this car for a few years, but something about it's familiarity comforts me. I was dropped off for my first day of high school in this car, I took my driver's test in this car.

"You good back there?" My dad asks, turning around

"Uh huh." I nod

He puts the car in gear and starts it forward, and I'm on my way home.

I don't know why I expected Los Angeles to be different, but I did. Thankfully, nothing has really changed at all. Sunset Boulevard is still crowded, Nozu still sits on the same corner...traffic is still terrible, but I don't think that will _ever_ change.

A wave of relief rushes over me when we pull into the driveway and I see that my childhood home is unchanged as well. My dad cuts the engine and all three of us open our doors, stepping back into the warmth of the sunlight. My mom wraps and arm around me again, and the two of us walk up the front walk together. She opens the door and goes inside, but I stop.

"Cat, sweetheart? You coming in?"

"Yeah..."

I take a deep breath and step up into the house.

It still smells exactly how I remember. A wave of relief rushes over me as I finally realize...

 _I'm home._

I kick off my shoes at the front door, just like I do every time I enter the house, and make my way into the kitchen. There's a 'Welcome Home' banner hanging across the cabinets, and a grocery store cake sitting on the counter.

"For me?" I chuckle "You shouldn't have."

"We don't have to eat it right now, you probably want to adjust to being back." My mom walks over to me and hugs me "Welcome home, sweetheart."

"Are you crying?" I ask her

"Yes..." She admits

"Oh, Mom..." I sigh "Why?"

"We didn't know if you were ever going to _come_ home." My dad says, brushing away a tear of his own "We're so grateful that you're back, safe and sound."

"I am too."

* * *

I reach forward and grab the doorknob that will open the door to my bedroom, but pause before I turn it. I take a deep breath and push the door open, and enter the room.

Everything is exactly the same as I left it. My bed is made, like I left it the morning I was taken. My laptop is still open on my desk, a stack of textbooks that the school more than likely wants back sitting next to it. The only difference is that my hamper is empty, which means that my mom did laundry, which still isn't out of the ordinary at all.

I begin to walk towards my bed, anxious to finally lay in it again. A shitty mattress on the floor, and then a hospital bed don't even begin to compare to my memory foam mattress. I collapse in a heap on the bed, taking in the familiar scent of the detergent that my sheets are washed in. I reach up to grab one of my stuffed animals and tuck it under my arm, when I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror on my wall.

What I see terrifies me.

I stand up and slowly begin walking towards the mirror, I don't recognize the girl I see. Her hair is still red, but her roots are awful. Her eyes are still brown, but they look like they're filled with pain. Her face is bruised and there's a scar above her left eye. She's so thin she looks sickly, and her clothes are hanging off of her.

I reach forward and touch the mirror, running my hand over the reflection.

"Oh shit..." I whisper, letting a tear fall from my eye

The girl in the mirror really is me.


	34. Chapter 34

_Robbie's POV_

"Algebra Two...American History...Theater History..." I read the name of Cat's textbooks out loud as I shove them into her backpack at my feet "I can take theses back for you if you'd like."

"If you could..." She nods "Thank you..."

"Not a problem."

She's only been home from the hospital maybe thirty-six hours now, and I'm happy that we have access to each other whenever we want it now. However, I thought that being home would put Cat in a better mood, but she seems to be doing almost worse now.

"Do you want to come with me?" I ask, slinging the pink backpack over my shoulder

"No, don't go now!" She begs "Please, I don't want to be by myself."

"Your dad is downstairs, baby..." I remind her "You wouldn't be alone."

"Please, Robbie. Just stay here!" She looks like she could cry "And _please_ don't call me baby..."

"Alright, I won't leave." I tell her "I'll stay right here with you as long as you want..."

"Thank you..."

Part of me wants to go sit on the bed next to her, but she seems to be in a vulnerable state right now, so I'm not sure how she'd react if I did.

"Can I come sit by you?" I ask

She nods, but turns away from me, looking out the window.

I set the backpack down in her desk chair and walk across the room, sitting down on the bed. I'm not right next to her, but more behind her on the opposite side of the bed.

"Whatcha lookin' at?"

"Just...outside..." She sighs "I thought that once I had the ability to, I'd want to go outside all the time. But now, the whole idea of it just frightens me."

"We could go outside together." I offer "Maybe go for a walk or something? If I was with you would it make it seem less scary?"

"It might..." She looks down, picking at her nails "But I think I just want to stay inside today."

"Okay, that's fine." I nod "Absolutely fine. We can stay inside."

"Okay..."

"There's something bothering you..." I say

"There's a lot of things bothering me..." She scoffs

"You can talk to me, you know." I tell her "I know I'm not a therapist, and I might not have the best advice to offer, but I'm a really good listener and if you just want to get some things off your chest then-"

"I took a shower last night." She looks up at me "I took a shower when I woke up this morning, I took another shower after lunch. I'm clean, there's no doubt about it, but I still feel so _dirty,_ Robbie. Those men _used_ me, and no matter how hard I try to scrub that feeling away, it sticks. I literally feel so disgusting all the time, and I can't make that feeling go away."

I'm slightly taken aback that she actually chose to open up to me. Besides the first day I visited her in the hospital, getting her to talk about what she's feeling has been next to impossible.

"It makes it so hard to feel happy..."

"Then we need to find something that makes you forget them." I say "Something that will make you feel _truly_ happy."

"Like what?" She rolls her eyes

"Come downstairs with me." I stand up and extend my hand to her

She looks at me, then to my hand, then back up at me.

"I won't bite you." I chuckle "I promise."

Hesitantly, she takes my hand and I help her to her feet. I lead her out of her bedroom and downstairs, into the front room.

"What are we doing?" She asks

"Just trust me." I assure her

I walk over to the piano that has occupied the same corner of the room the entire time that I've known the Valentine's, and sit down. I pat the empty space on the bench next to me, gesturing for Cat to come and sit with me. She's reluctant at first, staring at me for a few seconds before giving in and joining me at the piano.

"Music has always made you happy." I remind her, moving my fingers across the keys, starting to play a melody familiar to both of us

"Robbie..." She sighs

"You don't have to sing with me if you don't want to..." I say "But at least just listen."

"No, I think I want to..." She admits "I...I love this song."

"Okay." I chuckle "I'll start, just follow my lead."

"Alright..."

" _It's nine o'clock on a Saturday_..." I look up at her and smile  
" _The regular crowd shuffles in_  
 _There's an old man sitting next to me_  
 _Making love to his tonic and gin_

 _He says, 'Son can you play me a memory_  
 _I'm not really sure how it goes_  
 _But it's sad and it's sweet_  
 _And I knew it complete_  
 _When I wore a younger man's clothes.'_

 _Sing us a song you're the piano man_  
 _Sing us a song tonight_  
 _Well we're all in the mood for a melody_  
 _And you've got us feeling alright_

 _Now John at the bar is a friend of mine_  
 _He gets me my drinks for free_  
 _And he's quick with a joke or to light up your smoke_  
 _But there's someplace that he'd rather be_

 _He says, 'Bill, I believe this is killing me.'_  
 _As a smile ran away from his face_  
 _'Well, I'm sure that I could be a movie star_  
 _If I could get out of this place_.'

 _Now Paul is a real estate novelist_  
 _Who never had time for a wife_  
 _And he's talking with Davy, who's still in the Navy_  
 _And probably will be for life_

 _And the waitress is practicing politics_  
 _As the businessmen slowly get stoned_  
 _Yes they're sharing a drink they call loneliness_  
 _But it's better than drinking alone_ "

I look up at Cat, and see that she's managed to crack half of a smile, staring down at the keys as I play. I nudge her gently with my elbow, and she's startled at first, but then relaxes and begins to sing with me on the next chorus.

" _Sing us a song you're the piano man_  
 _Sing us a song tonight_  
 _Well we're all in the mood for a melody_  
 _And you've got us feeling alright_

 _It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday_  
 _And the manager gives me a smile_  
 _'Cause he knows that it's me they've been coming to see_  
 _To forget about life for a while_

 _And the piano it sounds like a carnival_  
 _And the microphone smells like a beer_  
 _And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar_  
 _And say, 'Man what are you doing here?'_

 _Sing us a song you're the piano man_  
 _Sing us a song tonight_  
 _Well we're all in the mood for a melody_  
 _And you've got us feeling alright."_

I finish playing and look over at Cat.

She's _actually_ smiling now, and it warms my heart knowing I was able to help her feel a little better. Then, without any warning, she scoots closer to me and leans over, resting her head on my shoulder, letting out a huge breath.

"You alright?" I ask her

"Mhm." She nods "I'm good."

I stretch out my arm and wrap it around her shoulders. She tenses up a little bit, but doesn't pull away from me or ask me to move it back.

"Still good?"

"Yeah, still good."


	35. Chapter 35

_Cat's POV_

"You're still awake." My mom says, entering my room

"Jesus Mom!" I exclaim, startled

It's about 11:30 at night. I've already showered twice tonight since dinner, and was contemplating taking a third just for something to do to pass the time. I know I'm not going to fall asleep easily, and if I do, I'll be attacked with vicious nightmares, just like the night before.

"I'm sorry!" She apologizes "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Don't worry about it." I sigh "Scaring me isn't exactly the most difficult thing to do these days, everything frightens me."

"Is that why you're still up?" She asks

"Part of it..." I shrug "It's been hard to sleep for two months...it not really anything new."

"Cat, those terrible men are locked up and under the highest security...they can't hurt you anymore."

"But there's hundreds of other psychopaths out there who can, Mom." I tell her "I'm literally paranoid about everything, not just them."

"Sweetheart, you're completely safe! If-"

"Mom." I cut her off "You're not going to be able to say anything that will make this any better. I'm sorry, but you just can't."

"You should talk to your therapist then, see if there's something she can give you to help you relax a bit." My mom suggests "Not sleeping isn't good for you, I can't imagine it feels that great either."

"I don't want to be a slave to a medication, Mom!"

"Taking medication to help you recover and become healthy again doesn't make you a slave, Caterina."

 _My full name_.

Seventeen years of experience has taught me that once my full name comes out, Mom is done with the conversation and arguing is useless. She's gotten the last word.

I sigh and lay down on my bed on my back, staring up at the ceiling. She moves away from the doorway, closing my bedroom door behind her, coming over and sitting down on the edge of my bed.

"I'm sorry..." I apologize

"You don't need to say sorry, it's not your fault." She tells me

"God, I'm so sick of everybody saying that." I roll over onto my side to face her

She doesn't say anything, but gives me a sad smile, reaching out to gently rub my arm, just like she did when I was a little girl.

 _"You're all mine tonight..."_ I hear Mark's voice ringing in my ears, as the familiar feeling of him running his hand down my side appears on my body

I gasp and roll away from my mom, clutching the arm she had been rubbing with my free hand.

"Cat?" She says with a high amount of concern "What's the matter?"

"Please don't do that..." I beg, a tear sliding down my cheek "Please..."

"Okay, sweetie!" She nods, crawling over to me and hugging me "I won't, I won't."

* * *

Ice cream.

The first food most children find comfort in. The food we continue to enjoy into adulthood.

The food I sit eating on my kitchen floor at midnight with my parents.

I stare down at the pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream sitting in my lap. It's the Red Velvet Cake flavor, not my favorite honestly, I actually prefer the Half-Baked or just plain Strawberry. But my Mom has always bought this for me, even more frequently once I dyed my hair. And it tastes good, so I've always ate it, it reminds me of a time better than this.

"You don't have to sit up with me..." I sigh "You can go to bed."

"We don't want you to be lonely." My dad tells me, taking a bite of his own Moosetracks ice cream "And you know I'll never turn down an ice cream party."

"We haven't had an ice cream part since I was like, fourteen." I laugh

And we've certainly never had one at midnight.

"I like having ice cream parties!" My mom says "And if it makes you feel better, then who am I to complain?"

"I guess." I shrug

It's not really making me feel all _that_ much better, but it's helped me temporarily forget the incident that had just occurred upstairs.

"Speaking of feeling better..." My dad says to my mom "Guess what I heard earlier today?"

"What?"

"Yeah, what?" I raise an eyebrow at him

"Ms. Cat here was singing." He smiles "In the living room with Robbie while he was over earlier."

"That's great!" My mom grins

"You act like it's a new development." I shrug "I go to a _performing arts_ school. You've heard me sing a billion of times."

"But it's been a while since that beautiful voice of yours has filled the house." He reminds me "And I know you're _truly_ happy when you're singing. And given the recent events, it's fantastic to know that you're truly happy. Even if it's only for six minutes of Piano Man."

"Oh, Piano Man!" My mom grins "That's a great song."

"Robbie picked it." I shrug "He knows I like it."

"That boy..." She smiles, shaking her head "You're lucky to have him."

"I know..." I sigh "He put his arm around me earlier and I didn't freak out..."

"Really?"

"Yeah." I nod "I dunno why. I mean, Mom was just trying to comfort me upstairs, so I don't know why it was any different coming from him."

"Maybe because you love him?"

"Yeah." I nod "But I also was distracted, and I know that he would never even _dream_ of doing anything bad to me...but then again, I know you wouldn't either, Mom."

"Well like you said, you were distracted." She nods "And upstairs you were thinking about the situation, you were uncomfortable to begin with so that probably didn't help.

"I just want to be normal again." I groan, leaning my head back against the cabinets

"Cat there's no such thing as 'normal'." My dad sighs

"I want things to get better then." I correct myself

"They will."

"But when?" I ask "I don't like being like this!"

"Soon." They both assure me "Soon."


	36. Chapter 36

_Cat's POV_

I stare at the hot pink PearPhone sitting on my desk. It mocks me, calling to me to come over and turn it on, to give it life and start using it again. Somehow, I've avoided it until now, in the days since I've been home I've found better things to do, I guess. But now, I feel like I have to.

I left it at Jet Vroom, and Nick picked it up. Then, apparently Nick gave it to Robbie when he and Jade went looking for me, and sometime between then and now, Robbie gave it to my parents. Now, it sits in my hand, still willing for me to turn it on.

I can't help but imagine what would've happened if I just hadn't been so damn ignorant and forgotten my phone that night? Would Cole have confiscated it from me and destroyed it before he even got me to the basement? Or would he have forgotten? And then would the police been able to track the signal the phone would've been omitting and followed it to me and saved us all sooner?

Would Lena still be alive?

We may never know. The unfortunate reality is that we never will _really_ know. There's no way to turn back time, although I wish there was. I wish there was a way to erase all the pain and suffering that I've gone through, that my friends and family have gone through, that Lena, Kate, Josie and their families have gone through.

"Alright, alright..." I sigh, turning the phone over in my hands a few times "Fine."

I press the lock button along the top curve of the phone down, holding it for a few seconds before releasing it again. A small Pear Company logo appears on the screen, before disappearing again to reveal my lock screen.

It's a black and white photo of Robbie kissing me on the cheek. My eyes are closed, and I'm smiling.

 _I was happy._

I slide my finger across the bottom of the screen and it asks me for a passcode. Even after being away from this phone for almost three months now, I could never forget the passcode that keeps it protected.

 _0-9-0-1_

My and Robbie's anniversary. Mark and Cole could beat me, rape me, and torture me all that they want, but I'd never forget that date.

 _"So does this make you my girlfriend now?" He asks, turning to look at me_

 _"I dunno." I shrug "Would you like me to be your girlfriend?"_

 _"I'd love it if you were my girlfriend." He smiles "Would you want me to be your boyfriend?"_

 _"I'd love it if you were my boyfriend." I giggle, looking down at my hands "But I'd want you to actually ask me..."_

 _"Uh...okay..." He hesitates "Cat Valentine, would you be my girlfriend? Officially?"_

 _"Of course, Robbie Shapiro." I smile "I'd love to be your girlfriend."_

September first, I could never forget it. We saw a movie, then went for ice cream and walked around downtown Los Angeles for a while. That was the night we became official, that was the night we had our first kiss. What I would give to go back to that night...but I guess we've already established there's no way to turn back time.

My phone immediately starts spamming me with notifications, alerting me to everything I've missed since I last had my phone. Notifications for new unread text messages, emails, missed calls and voicemails cover the screen. Once the phone is quiet again, I delete every text and voicemail I've gotten since April 30th, and clear all of my missed calls. I can't bring myself to read the countless texts from my friends and family asking me where I am, or listen to the terror in their voices listening to voicemails that urge me to just 'call me back as soon as you get this, I need to know you're okay.' I can't do it, I just can't.

I use my finger and swipe two pages of apps to the right, to a screen that allows me to better see the picture that occupies the background of my home screen. It was taken last summer at Venice Beach. Andre, Tori, Beck, Jade, Robbie and I are all holding hands, jumping over a wave.

 _"So who doesn't get to be in it?" Jade asks "One of us will have to take the picture."_

 _"Oh shit, I didn't think of that..." I admit_

 _"It's not a big deal, we can just find someone to take it for us." Beck shrugs "Like him! Excuse me, sir?"_

 _The man walking past us stops, raising an eyebrow at Beck, but smiling._

 _"Would you be able to take a picture of us?" He asks_

 _"Of course." The man nods, taking Beck's phone from him "Everybody ready?"_

 _Robbie stands between Jade and I and hold both of our hands. Andre is to my right, and next to him is Tori. Beck runs back to the far left of the line and grabs Jade's hand._

 _"Alright, on three..." Andre says, turning around to watch the waves "1...2...3!"_

 _We all smile and jump up into the air holding hands, in a very High School Musical-esque way. The man snaps the picture, and Beck runs to retrieve his phone from him, thanking him as well._

 _We all rush to gather around the tiny phone screen and look at the picture._

 _"That's a great shot." I laugh_

 _"Yeah." Tori agrees "It's a keeper for sure."_

My friends.

We always have the best times when we're together, and honestly, I think some good times are what I really need right now. I open the text app and scroll through my old messages, looking for our old group text. I scroll past it once, because one of them changed the name to 'Operation: Find Caterina'. Shaking my head, I enter the message and change the name back to what I last remember it being, which is 'Los Seis Amigos'. Then, I send them all a text.


	37. Chapter 37

_Robbie's POV_

When I had seen that Cat texted all of us in our old group message and said she wanted to get together and hang out, I had been incredibly surprised. One, because I didn't know she had her phone back yet, and two because I didn't think she'd be ready for a social interaction of that size so soon. Then again, it _is_ a group of her closest friends, and she did say she wished that her life would get back to normal. I guess this is just the first step.

When I pull my car into the Valentine's driveway to pick her up, there's an odd moment lapse of time where it feels like nothing has changed. She'll skip out the front door and climb into the passenger's seat, we'll go to Tori's and watch a movie with our friends. Then, at the end of the night, I'll drive her home, walk her to the door and kiss her goodnight. Just like always.

But it's not just like always. The front door opens and Cat appears, but there isn't the normal skip or bounce in her step that there would be if this was normal. She doesn't smile, she looks down, and walks quickly towards the car. Her mom comes out with her and escorts her halfway before stopping and watching her like a hawk as she climbs into my passenger seat.

"Hey." I smile as she slams the door closed behind her

"Hi." She sighs

"Are you okay?" I ask, looking over to her mom. She waves, I wave back, then turn back to face my girlfriend "You don't have to come if you don't want to, no one will blame you."

"No I want to go." She nods "It's just, the whole concept of actually getting to go _out_ whenever I feel like it...it's weird. I haven't had that privilege for a while."

"So you still want to go?"

"Yes." She assures me "Let's go."

"Alright."

I put the car in reverse and back out of the driveway. We wave to Mrs. Valentine again, then start off for the Vega's house. Cat is quiet, which would've been odd three or four months ago, but as of late, it's become normal. I wish I knew what she was thinking. So if it was something bad, I could help.

"What'd you do today?" I ask her

"I cleaned my room." She tells me, staring out the window "I got rid of so much shit I didn't even realize that I had. What about you?"

"I went to work." I say "I got peed on by a guinea pig."

This makes her laugh, and I feel like I've finally made some progress.

"Yeah." I agree "Funny right?"

"Totally." She smiles

I got her to smile, things are going well.

I turn onto Tori's street and Cat starts to drum her hands against her kneecaps. That's her nervous habit. Some things, I know, will never change.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" I ask her again

"For the millionth time, yes." She sighs "I'm fine."

"Then why are you drumming your hands?"

She grabs her hands and holds them in her lap.

"I'm not."

We pull into the Vega's driveway and I cut the ignition, then we both climb out. I wait at the front of the car for Cat to join me, then I lock it, and we start up the front walk together.

I'm not sure if I should hold her hand or not. She's been comfortable with it in the past, and has even progressed to letting me put an arm around her, but that was when it was just us. Will she be okay with it in a social situation with other people? Is it worth risking freaking her out to try and find out?

When I reach forward and ring the doorbell, I feel her fingers weave between mine, clutching my hand tightly, and I have my answer.

"Cat!" Tori grins, opening the door "Hi!"

"Hi!" Cat exclaims, walking inside, I follow closely behind "I missed you!"

"I missed you too!"

The two girls grab one another and share a tight hug. I shrug my jacket off and hang it up, walking into the kitchen to let them have their moment.

"Come on..." I hear Tori say behind me "Everyone else is already here."

"Hey man." Beck nods, greeting me as I enter

"Hey." I say back "Where's Andre?"

"Bathroom." Jade tells me

"Oh okay."

Cat and Tori come in behind me and I see a grin spread across Jade's face. The two of them hug as well, then Cat comes and stands next to me at the island.

"Hey Cat!" Beck smiles

"Hi..." She greets him

He moves like he might walk around to try and hug her, but actually just reaches across the island and squeezes her hand. The two of them make eye contact and smile and I let out a breath of relief. Jade probably told him that she wasn't all that comfortable around men yet, and I'm glad that he was respectful.

"It's good to have you back." He tells her

"It's good to be back." She smiles, looking up at me

"Lil' Red!" Andre exclaims, coming back into the kitchen

Cat turns to face him, but her eyes grow wide with horror as she sees he's going to try and hug her. I don't realize and before anyone can say anything to him, he has her wrapped in a tight bear hug.

"NO!" Cat screams, trying to break away from him "LET ME GO! LET ME GO!"

"You heard her man, get off!" I shove him backwards

"Woah, woah, woah!" Andre throws his hands up "What'd I do?"

"Andre!" Tori smacks his arm "What did we talk about when you got here?!"

"Wha?" He looks at her confused, then something clicks "Oh! SHIT! Cat! I'm so sorry!"

But she doesn't hear him, she's in her own world now. She's on the floor with her back pressed up against the island, knees drawn to her chest with her face buried in them, holding the sides of her head.

"Cat?" Jade is trying to get her attention "Cat, look at me. You're safe, it was just Andre."

"I...I..." She stammers "I know it...it was. He j-j-just scared me i-is all."

"Cat?" I kneel down next to her

She rolls towards me and buries her face in my shoulder, crying now.

"Aw man..." Andre runs his hands through his dreadlocks, pacing back and forth "Dude, I'm sorry."

"I know." I nod "You didn't mean to, it's okay."

"It's not okay!" He exclaims "I scared the living shit out of her and made her cry!"

"I-I-It's okay." Cat waves him off, but doesn't turn to face him "Y-y-you d-didn't m-m-mean it."

"How about you and Beck go pick up the pizzas?" Tori suggests to him

"I think that's a good idea." Beck agrees "Come on man, let's go."

"Alright." Andre sighs, following him out "I'm sorry again, Cat!"

She curls up closer to me, and I have to shift my weight to avoid losing my balance. She's still so small, I don't want to give out on her and have her end up hurt.

"Can I do anything?" Tori asks, looking both sympathetic to the situation and pissed at her boyfriend at the same time

"I think water would be good." Jade tells her

"Yeah..." I agree "Water would be good."

Tori nods and moves towards the sink on the other side of the island.

Cat isn't crying anymore, but I can tell she's still a bit shaken up.

"You're okay..." I whisper, wrapping an arm around her and rubbing her back "You're safe. No one is going to hurt you."


	38. Chapter 38

_Cat's POV_

Andre wasn't trying to hurt me, I know that. He was just excited to see me and wanted to show me that. But that doesn't mean that he didn't scare me. All I could picture at that moment was Cole coming up behind me in that alleyway and dragging me away to what I thought for sure was going to be my death.

But it was just Andre. My close friend, one of my best friend's boyfriends. He wasn't trying to hurt me.

It didn't make me feel any better that he spent all night apologizing though. He really was sorry, I could see it in his face and in his eyes. But every time he brought it up, the scenario replayed in my mind, and I felt awful again.

We watched Tangled, a nice, light-hearted Disney movie, right? That's what I thought too, but then I realized that Rapunzel lived almost her entire life locked away in that tower, just like I was locked away in that basement, and I felt that awful feeling in my stomach again. I didn't say anything to anyone, not even Robbie when he drove me home. I can find a way for almost anything to remind me of what happened to me, and I'm starting to feel like I'm never going to be free of Cole and Mark.

And now I lay in my bed, staring at the ceiling, waiting for sleep that will take forever to come to me, and then bring only terrible nightmares of those two men.

 _I can't escape. I can't._

Have I contemplated suicide?

 _Absolutely._

But I can't do that, I just can't. If I take my life, then they win. That's what Mark and Cole would've ended up doing to me, and if I die, then they win. I can't let them win. I can't hurt my family like that, I can't hurt my friends like that. And even if I didn't care about all of the things that I just mentioned. I don't think I'd be able to go through with it.

I thought that living in that basement was the closet thing I'd ever come to hell, but it turns out life outside the basement is almost just as bad.

I turn and lay on my side, so I can look out the window. Normally, on a clear night, I'd have a perfect view of the moon right about now. But tonight is overcast and cloudy, the weatherman said we could expect some rain tonight, so I can't see anything except the tree outside my window. I roll back onto my back, staring at the ceiling once again.

School is going to start soon. In about three weeks, I'll be back in the hallways of Hollywood Arts once again. My fellow students will stare, they will whisper about me as I walk past, I will be 'that girl who was kidnapped, but lived'.

I lived.

I made it out, I'm still here. I can wake up every morning and hug and kiss my parents. I have friends who love me, a boyfriend who loves me. I'm one of the lucky ones. I lived, and I should be counting my blessings.

"I have a family that loves me." I say out loud

Hearing myself actually say it solidifies it in my brain.

"I have the most amazing friends." I say "And an even more amazing boyfriend. Mark and Cole Varney are in jail, and they can't hurt me. I'm safe."

 _I'm safe._

Mark and Cole are locked away in jail, and all it will take for them to be sent to prison for the rest of their lives (maybe even worse than that) is one trail. A trial that I'm dreading, but that I can't wait for. But who knows how long it will take for the court system to process them.

Something heavy hits my window and I scream, rolling out of bed onto the floor on the opposite side of the bed.

I spoke too soon, I'm not safe. They're back, and they want me back too. They want to take me back to that basement and make me back into their precious little fuck doll.

"What is it?" My dad exclaims, bursting into my room

My mom runs in behind him and turns the light on.

"T-t-the, the window!" I point "Something hit it!"

A wave of relief crosses my father's face as he relaxes, walking over to look out the window.

"Be careful!" I warn him "They're dangerous!"

"Who's dangerous, sweetheart?" My mom asks, kneeling down beside me

"Those men!" I tell her "Mark and Cole!"

"They're in jail..." She reminds me "They can't hurt you anymore."

"No! They're outside!"

Something hits the window again, making the same sound.

"See!" I exclaim

"Cat, there's no one outside." My dad assures me, turning away from the window and walking towards us "That sound you're hearing? It's the branch outside hitting your window."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm absolutely positive, kiddo." He nods "Would I lie to you?"

"No..." I sigh "Great, now I'm paranoid too..."

"You have every right to be." My mom tells me "What you went through was terrible, no one blames you for being cautious..."

"First thing in the morning I'll go outside and trim those branches so this doesn't happen anymore." My dad promises "Okay?"

"Okay..."

"I promise you Cat, we're never going to let anyone hurt you ever again."


	39. Chapter 39

_Cat's POV_

"Are you going to talk to me?" I ask "Or are you going to just sit there and stare at me?"

"Sorry." Tori and Jade both say in unison, adverting their eyes

They sit side by side on the window seat in my bedroom, while I hang upside down over the edge of my bed.

We're bored.

It's summer, we shouldn't be bored. We should be at the beach, or at the mall, but I'm not ready to be out in public yet. I'm happy their so respectful of my wishes, but we're bored.

"Do you want to read through a bunch of teenie bopper magazines and make fun of them?" Tori suggests "You like doing that!"

"I used to..." I sigh, rolling over onto my stomach so I'm upright "I don't feel like it right now, honestly."

"That's fine." Jade shrugs "Do you want to watch a movie?"

"Not really?"

"Well then why did you invite us over? So we can stare at each other?"

"I'm lonely guys..." I admit "My dad is at work and I need someone else to talk to besides my mom! And Robbie is working..."

"You should've opened with that." Jade sighs, scooting onto the floor and crawling over to me "Sorry for getting testy."

"Don't worry about it." I shrug "You're both still staring..."

"God dammit, Tori!" Jade exclaims

"Hey! She caught us both..."

"If..." I hesitate for a moment before making my offer "If you have questions...you can ask me. I might not want to answer them, but I won't get mad at you for asking."

"What makes you think we have questions?" Tori asks, walking over and sitting down next to Jade

"I know that look." I sigh "It's a curious look, and it kinda makes me uncomfortable. If you have a question, please just ask me."

"When is there going to be a trial?" Jade looks up at me "When are those bastards going away for good?"

"Whenever the courts finally process the case and set a date." I tell her "Believe me, I've asked the police that question more times than I can count."

"Well how long does it take to process a case?"

"Anywhere from a few weeks to a year." Tori says "Sorry, didn't mean to step on your toes...I just know because it's my dad's job."

"I know." I nod "I honestly don't know if I want it to come sooner or later. I mean, of course I want _them_ locked away for eternity...but I don't know if I'll be able to sit in the same room as them for even thirty seconds without having an anxiety attack."

"They can't hurt you anymore." Tori tries to assure me

"Except they already _have_ hurt me." I remind her "The scars on my body will heal, eventually...but the scars on the inside are going to be there forever."

"That sounds like something out of a book or a poem."

"Who knows? Maybe I'll write a book one day."

* * *

 _"Kitty Cat?" An all too familiar voice calls "Come out, come out, where ever you are!"_

 _I crouch down lower behind the wall that I'm hiding behind, praying that he doesn't find me._

 _The sound of footsteps grows louder as he approaches my location, then stop, and I feel like I can't breathe._

 _He found me, it's all over._

 _By some miracle, however, the footsteps sound like they start heading away from me, and I let go of the breath I had been holding knowing that I'm not going to die today._

 _I peek out from behind the wall I had been hiding behind, and glance around. I set my sights on a door at the end of the hallway and decide that it's my best chance at an escape. Once I determine that the coast is clear, I begin crawling towards it, freedom getting closer and closer with each stride._

 _"Not so fast!" The voice chuckles_

 _Someone grabs my foot and pulls me backwards. My chin hits the floor hard, and I leave a trail of blood as I'm pulled towards the enemy._

 _"No!" I exclaim, trying to break free from his grip "Leave me alone!"_

 _"You didn't really think you could get away from me, did you?"_

 _The room we're in is dim, so I can't see his face, but I'd know that voice anywhere. He picks me up and starts carrying me back the way I had previously escaped from. I kick and punch him, trying to get away, but he's just too strong._

 _We pass through a doorway and enter another room, and I'm thrown onto a bed. A light comes on and I finally see the face of my captor._

 _Marcus Varney._

 _He grabs my hands and handcuffs me to the headboard, then ties my ankles to the bottom bedposts. He pulls a knife out of his pocket and starts cutting away at my clothes as a sick and twisted grin crosses his face._

 _"Please." I beg "Please don't do this! I'll give you anything you want!"_

 _"Oh I'll get what I want." He smirks_

 _He runs his finger down my body, starting at my shoulders and ending at my hips. He pulls it down further, tracing circles on my thigh, and I feel like I want to puke. Before I know it, he's kissing my neck._

 _"STOP!" I scream_

 _"Come on, baby..." He practically moans "Your body is impossible to resist, it just isn't fair."_

 _"NO!" I try to wriggle my legs free, but I can't "NO!"_

 _"I won, Cat." He smiles "Just lay back and enjoy it."_

I sit up in bed, breathing hard, trying to catch my breath.

Looking around, I see that I'm in my bedroom. I pull my hand up to my face, and it comes with no difficulty whatsoever, I'm not handcuffed down. I kick my feet gently under the blankets and when I see them moving, I know they're not tied down either.

"Mark and Cole Varney are in jail." I whisper, covering my face with my hands "They can't hurt me. I have a family that loves me. I have the most amazing friends. I have an even more amazing boyfriend...I'm safe."

I throw the blankets off my legs and walk down the hallway to the bathroom. The light almost blinds me when I switch it on, but I need more reminder that I'm awake. I take the cup from it's place next to the faucet and fill it with cold water, downing the entire thing without taking a breath. Then, I cup my hands and run them under the water, splashing more cold water on my face. I grab a towel off the shelf behind me and dry myself off, not taking my eyes off of my relfection in the mirror.

"I'm safe." I say again "They can't hurt me anymore."


	40. Chapter 40

_Robbie's POV_

"Here you go." I smile, sliding a bowl across my kitchen island to Cat "One bowl of princess man-n-cheese, just for you."

She doesn't even look up at me, she's too busy staring at her phone in her lap.

"Cat?" I say "Hello? Earth to Cat!"

"Sorry!" She apologizes, snapping back into reality "Kate...or I guess she's known as Katie to normal people, got released from the hospital today."

"Is that who you've been texting?"

"Yeah." She nods "I gave her my information the morning I was discharged and told her to contact me when they let her out."

"So she did."

"Yeah...she did."

"What about the other girl?" I ask "Josie?"

"She was discharged before either of us got a chance to talk to her." She tells me, picking up her fork and taking a bite of her mac-n-cheese "We'll see her again when the trial starts."

"And when will that be?"

"Robbie..."

"Sorry, sorry." I apologize "I'm pushing too far."

"No...it's not your fault..."

"It's not yours either." I remind her

"Thank you, ten thousandth person to remind me of that." She rolls her eyes

"Well it's tr-"

"True." She finishes for me "I know...I know..."

She looks down at the food in front of her, apparently done with the conversation. So I turn back to the stove to get myself a bowl of mac-n-cheese to sit down and eat with her.

"The lawyer our parents hired thinks the trial could be as soon as next month..." She says

"What?" I turn back to her

"The trial." She repeats "Josie and I aren't old enough to represent ourselves yet, so our parent's hired a lawyer on our behalf, and so did Kate."

"Well yeah, I know that." I nod "But don't cases normally take a long time to process?"

"It's high profile..." She shrugs "I don't know."

"I'll be there for you the entire time, you know that right?"

"Robbie..." She sighs "It'll be right at the beginning of school...I can't ask you to skip for me..."

"Cat, we all know the guys are guilty, it'll be a short trial."

"Don't be so sure."

"Well even if it's not, you know you mean the world to me..." I remind her "I'd miss even if it meant flunking out. I love you."

"I love you too..."

* * *

"Robbie..." Cat groans "Everybody is staring at me!"

"No one is staring." I assure her "If anything they're judging me for my ridiculous outfit."

"You look fine..." She tells me

"And so do you."

Together, we walk hand-in-hand together through the park a few blocks away from my house. I could tell that the whole conversation we had just had about Kate and the trial had made Cat a little anxious, so after a lot of persuasion, I convinced her to go for a walk with me and get some fresh air.

"They're not looking at me because I look ridiculous!" She exclaims "They're looking at me because I'm one of _those_ girls."

"Cat, everyone here is either under the age of seven or too preoccupied watching their kids to even care that we're here." I laugh "Come on, you're fine."

"Robbie..."

"Do you want to go back to my house?" I sigh

"No..."

"Then come on." I nod my head in the direction we had been walking "I promise, if anybody gives you shit, I'll give it right back to them."

She scrunches her nose up the way she does when she's thinking hard, then finally gives in and continues walking with me.

"Are you going to be okay if I put an arm around you?" I ask

So far, she's only comfortable with holding hands, and me having one arm around her. We haven't hugged yet, we haven't kissed.

"I think so..." She nods

I let go of her hand and snake my arm around her waist. She tenses up a little, but then relaxes.

"You good?"

"Yeah." She nods "You're not going to hurt me, I know that."

"You're right, I won't."

We continue walking around the grassy area of the park, away from the playground, and away from most of the other people.

"I missed the trees." Cat admits, looking up "And the birds, and the sun...even though it's fucking hot."

I can only laugh, she's right. It's ninety-three degrees outside, but thankfully the humidity is low.

"That's living in California for you." I laugh

"Yeah." She chuckles "I guess you're right."

A child squeals off in the distance, turning my attention to the playground.

"What?' Cat asks

"Come here..." I say, taking her hand again "I have an idea."

"Robbie..." She seems skeptical

"It'll be fine." I promise her

We walk over to the swing set, completely empty with the exception of a woman pushing her young son in one of the infant swings. I let go of Cat's hand and walk over to one of the empty regular-sized swings.

"Come sit down." I tell her

"Why?" She asks, staring at me

"Just do it." I laugh "I promise, it'll be fun..."

"Alright..." She sighs, walking over to the swing and sitting down "I'm sitting."

"I'm going to touch your waist just briefly, is that okay?"

"Umm..." She hesitates "I guess so..."

"I won't if it's going to make you uncomfortable."

"No go ahead." She nods "I'm okay."

"Okay." I say

I reach out and give her the slightest push forward. The swing moves away, and then returns to me, so I give her another push, harder this time. I hear her try to stifle a laugh, so I move to the swing next to her.

"No!" She exclaims "Don't stop! I'm actually enjoying this!"

"I know you are." I laugh, sitting down on my own swing and pumping my legs a few times to get to the same height as her "That's why I'm joining you."

It's the first time in months I've heard my girlfriend really _truly_ laugh because she was enjoying herself.


	41. Chapter 41

_Cat's POV_

"Hey Cat!"

"Hi?" I respond a person I've never seen before passes me in the hallway

"Hi Cat."

"Um, hey?"

I approach my locker and see that it's still covered in the signs and notes that Robbie told me about. They all say something along the lines of 'you're in our prayers' or 'get home safe', the typical crap. I start ripping them down, piling them up in my arms before walking over to the nearby trashcan and dumping them.

"Woah." Jade chuckles, walking over to me "What did those poor signs ever do to you?"

"They remind me of the past." I sigh, walking back over to my locker "And I don't want to think about the past."

"Fair enough."

Thanks to Mark and Cole, everyone in this school knows me now, or at least they think they do. They saw my face on the news, they saw that they went to the same school as me, and now they think they know everything about me. Well newsflash, they don't.

I'm more than just a rape victim.

"When do you have Sikowitz?"

"Uh..." I sigh my schedule out of my backpack "Probably the same as you. He wouldn't allow the administration to split us up...fourth?"

"Me too." She nods

"Figures."

I put the notebooks and folders I'm not going to need before lunch into my locker and slam it shut, then sip my backpack up and sling in onto my shoulders.

"So what class do you have first?" Jade asks as we walk out of the science wing and down the stairs, towards the main foyer of the building

"Advanced R&B/Jazz Vocals." I tell her "You?"

"Precalc."

"That's the opposite way." I point back behind us

"I...I know." She responds "I just didn't want you to have to walk by yourself. If you're walking and walking to someone, people are less likely to say anything to you."

"Oh...well...thanks."

"You're welcome." She says "You've been through enough, the last thing you need is some asshole saying something inconsiderate to you."

* * *

I enter Sikowitz's classroom and immediately lay eyes on Robbie, allowing a wave of relief to fall over my body.

I haven't known a single person in my first three classes, but everybody seems to know me. They ask the typical 'how was your summer?', then act surprised when I say it was the shittiest summer of my life. If you're going to act like my friend, at least play the whole part.

"Hey." Robbie moves his backpack off the chair next to him so I can sit down "How's your morning been?"

"Terrible." I sigh, setting my backpack down and sitting in the chair

"I'm sorry..."

"Not your fault." I shake my head

I scoot the chair closer to him and lean my head against his shoulder. He hesitates before wrapping an arm around my shoulders, but he does.

Beck and Jade walk in hand-in-hand and enter the second row. Jade gives my shoulder a reassuring squeeze before sitting down in the chair directly behind me. More kids file in, including Tori, who takes he other chair next to me. Andre scoots in right as the bell rings.

"Cutting it kind of close, aren't you?" Robbie teases him

"Hey man, I have to make it all the way from the physics room to here in six minutes!" He tries to defend himself

"Andre, you can make it anywhere in this building in two minutes if you try hard enough." I tell him

"Hey! Little Red!"

"Hi..." I laugh

"Seniors!" Sikowitz exclaims, bursting through the door "Welcome to the first day of your last year of high school!"

The room is filled with a chorus of 'hi's and 'hello's and even a couple groans.

"Yes, yes. I know." He laughs, picking up an attendance sheet "Let's see here, doesn't look like there's any new faces here so hopefully this won't take long...Maria?"

"Here."

"Liam?"

"Here."

"Tim?'

"Here."

"Andre?"

"Here!"

"So enthusiastic..." Sikowitz chuckles "Maddie?"

"Here!"

"Josh?"

"Here."

"Matt?"

"Here."

"Beck?"

"Here."

"Robbie?"

"Here." Robbie slightly raises his hand that's draped around my shoulders

"Alex?

"Here."

"Annie?'

"Here."

"Cat?"

"Here." I say, as every head in the classroom turns to look at me "I'm here."

"I'm glad." Sikowitz smiles and continues moving down the list "Tori?"

"Here."

"Jade?"

"Here."

"Brendan?"

"Here."

"And Pat?"

"Here."

"One hundred percent attendance." Sikowitz says "Way to go seniors. Now, let's jump right into our curriculum, shall we?"

The classroom is filled with another chorus of groans as our teacher turns and begins writing something on the whiteboard. However, a few of my fellow classmate's eyes stay focused on me.

"Robbie..." I whisper "They're looking at me."

"What?" He looks up "Oh..."

The second he makes eye contact with them, they look away.

"Don't worry." He assures me "They'll stop in a few days."

"I wish they'd stop now..." I sigh

"I know, I know..."

I wish people would stop looking at me like they've seen a ghost, I wish they'd stop acting like they're my best friends just because they know what happened to me.

For once in my life, I wish I was invisible.

* * *

My mom is on the phone when I get home from school. She smiles at me when I enter the kitchen. I smile back, dropping my backpack on the table and moving to the fridge to get a bottle of water.

"Absolutely." She says "Yes, see you then. Okay, bye bye...Hi sweetie, how was school?"

"Awful." I admit "Everyone was staring at me because I'm _that_ girl."

"I'm sorry, baby..." She frowns "Maybe I can talk to Lane and see-"

"No." I shake my head "I don't know what you were going to say, but I already have a therapist, I don't need Lane on my back too."

"Okay..."

"Who were you talking to?" I ask

"Your lawyer..." She tells me "Your trial has been moved up to next Friday."

"What?" I almost choke on my water

"I know, it's sudden but-"

"No, it's okay..." I say "At least, I think it's okay...I just want it over with so I can move on."

But I don't want to see those men, ever again.

"We all do." She admits "We're going to have a meeting on Tuesday, us, dad, they lawyer, the other girl's and their families, so we can discuss the details."


	42. Chapter 42

_Cat's POV_

As soon as Kate enters the conference room, accompanied by her parents, I move to hug her. We wrap our arms around each other like it's been decades since the last time we saw one another face to face, when in reality, it's only been a few weeks. Our parents are friendly, they must have met before, either at the hospital or in a meeting with the lawyer, and I think both of us are thankful we don't have to go through the process of introducing them to one another.

The lawyer arrives next, his name is John Spencer. He's about my father's height, and has to be in his late fifties. He has brown eyes, and brown hair that's turning grey. He doesn't squeeze my hand too hard when he shakes it, so I decide that he can be trusted.

"We'll just wait for the Bennett's before we get started." He tells us "Hopefully this shouldn't take too long."

"So..." Kate spins her swivel chai towards me "Have you gone back to school yet?"

"Unfortunately."

"How's that going?"

"It's gotten better." I admit "People still stare, and I know they're still whispering about me when I walk by...but I think I'm just starting to get used to it."

"Is there really anything else you _can_ do?" She shrugs "People are human, they're naturally curious about what they hear..."

"Exactly." I nod

The door to the conference room opens and a secretary shows Josie and a couple who I can only assume are her parents in. Kate and I both spring to our feet and begin moving towards her.

"Wait!" She holds her hands up to stop us "If you're going to hug me, that's fine. Just please be gentle."

"Alright..." I nod

I allow Kate to hug her first, then I take my turn.

"Are you okay?" Kate asks as Josie and I break free from our embrace

"As okay as I can be, considering the circumstances." She sighs "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you guys I was being discharged, I just wanted out of that hospital as soon as possible."

"We understand completely." I assure her "Did they find anything majorly wrong? I mean, they discharged you in a week but-"

"Nothing was _wrong_ I guess..." Josie sighs "But...they ran every test they could think of on me and..."

"And?"

"One of them got me pregnant, guys..."

As soon as the words leave her mouth, my hatred for Marcus and Colton Varney triples almost instantly. Not only did they take a girl away from her family, violate her and steal her innocence, they got her pregnant too.

"Josie..." Kate gasps "I'm so sorry..."

She's only sixteen...

"Don't apologize for them..." She shakes her head "They don't own us anymore, they never did. I can't bring myself to abort something that's fifty percent me, but I can't raise it knowing who it's father is either."

"So you're giving it up?" I ask

"Yeah..." She nods "It's best for both of us, I don't even feel like it's mine, you know? I feel like it's just something they're trying to use against me, and I would never be able to raise it. So I might as well give it to someone who can."

"Girls?" John calls us over to the table "I'm sorry to interrupt but..."

"No, it's fine." I assure him, moving back to the conference table and sitting back down next to my parents "I think we all just want this over as soon as possible."

"Of course." He nods "I won't lie you any of you, this trial is mainly just a formality. These guys have admitted to abducting and raping at least five girls, and have taken responsibility for the murder of Lena Morgan."

My heart drops into my stomach at the mention of Lena. I hope wherever she ended up, she's happy.

"Why admit to it?" My father asks "Why give up so easy?"

"I think they know the evidence is stacked against them." John admits "They know they can't win, so they're trying to make it as painless as possible for themselves."

"Idiots..." Kate scoffs

"Katherine!" Her father scolds

"What? Like I'm lying?"

"Anyway..." John tries to get the conversation back on track "Basically all the girls are going to have to do is give their statements to the jury. The representative for the Varney's will have the option to question them as well, but I doubt he'll take it. I think everyone involved basically knows what the end verdict is going to be, so hopefully this is a quick and painless trail.

"It better be." Mrs. Bennett says "These girls have been through enough already."

* * *

 _I'm chained to a bed again._

 _"Let me go!" I scream "Please!"_

 _A door opens and the room I'm in floods with light, practically blinding me. A man appears in the doorway, silhouetted against the light, and begins moving towards me._

 _"I give you almost a year of my life, and this is how you repay me?" He traces his finger against my bare skin_

 _"I..I don't know what you're talking about."_

 _"Don't lie to me, Cat." He chuckles "Of course you do."_

 _He climbs on top of me and I can only guess what's coming. However, as he lowers his face closer to mine, I don't see Mark or Cole like I expect to..._

 _I see Robbie._

 _"Robbie!" I gasp "No, no please!"_

 _"Come on Cat." He chuckles "You didn't think I could wait forever, did you?"_

My eyes shoot open and I immediately begin to cry. That dream was worse than anything Mark or Cole could ever do to me, yet it's all their fault.

"It was just a dream..." I whisper "Robbie would never do that..."

No, he wouldn't...would he?"

No! Robbie loves me, he would never do that.

At least I don't think he would.


	43. Chapter 43

_Robbie's POV_

Cat fidgets nervously next to me as we wait outside the courtroom doors.

"Hey..." I reach down and try to grab her hand "Everything is going to be fine."

"Don't." She swats my hand away "Please, not now."

"Alright..." I sigh "Forget I even tried."

"No, Robbie..." She groans "I didn't mean it like that, I'm sorry."

"Don't be." I shake my head "You're nervous, I get that."

She's wearing a navy blue sundress covered in flowers the same color as her hair. She wore it when I took her out for our six month anniversary, I remember it well, I hope she does too. But now, that dress will hold a whole new set of memories for her, ones that aren't so pleasant.

"Sorry I'm late!" A man apologizes, approaching us quickly "You know how Los Angeles traffic can be."

Based on the way he's dressed, and the stack of documents in his hand, I'm assuming this is their lawyer.

"Not a problem." Mr. Valentine assures him "Can we go in now?"

"We can." The lawyer nods "Cat, Josie, Katie, you'll sit at the plaintiff's table with me. I'm afraid your parents and...um..."

"Robbie." I inform him of my name

"Your parents and Robbie will have to sit in the benches behind us." He says

We all nod to show we understand.

"Good good." He nods, turning around and walking towards the doors "Let's go in."

Cat grabs my hand and I gladly intertwine our fingers together as we make our way down the isle towards the front of the courtroom. I walk with her as far as I possibly can, then stop.

"You're going to be fine." I say to her

"I know..." She nods "I'm just not crazy about the idea of having to sit by myself."

"You'll be with Katie and Josie." I remind her

"But I want to be with you..."

"Cat!" Her lawyer calls to her

"You'll be fine." I lean forward and kiss the top of her head

I immediately regret it, she didn't give me permission to do that, and now I might've made her anxious. But she doesn't say anything, just turns and walks over towards the plaintiff's table, taking her seat between Katie and Josie. I move and sit down next to Mrs. Valentine in the first row of civilian benches.

We still have some time before the trial begins, so Cat turns her chair around and rolls over to the wooden divider and extends her hands to me. I take them and allow our elbows to rest on top of the divider.

"This is all going to be over in a few hours." I assure her

"You don't know that."

"I know." I sigh "Just wishful thinking."

A door in the corner opens and two men, shackled in handcuffs and clad in beige jumpsuits enter. No one introduces them, but everyone in the room knows who they are immediately. Cat's eyes grow wide and her entire body tenses up, she squeezes my hands even tighter.

"They're handcuffed." I tell her "And there's a million security guards with them, they can't even get within fifteen feet of you."

"You're right..." She exhales "But they still make me nervous."

"All rise!" The bailiff announces

Cat wheels her chair back to the table and stands up, along with everyone else in the room, myself included.

"Department One of the Superior Court is now in session. Judge Perkins presiding. Please be seated."

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen." Judge Perkins addresses everyone "Calling the case of Bennett, Tyler & Valentine vs. Varney & Varney. Are both sides ready?"

Both lawyers confirm that they are ready to start the trial, then the jury is sworn in under oath.

Cat's lawyer stands up and basically addresses the entire reason we're here in the first place; the brothers Varney are charged with the abduction of at least five minors, the sexual assault of those minors, and the first degree murder of two of them, all of which they've admitted to. The Varney's lawyer stands up and tries to make a case for both him and his clients, but everyone in the room knows it's a lost cause.

"The prosecution may call it's first witness." Judge Perkins sighs

He knows it's a lost cause too.

"Bennett, Tyler, and Valentine would like to call Josie Bennett." The girl's lawyer says

The youngest girl, Josie, stands up and is escorted to the stand by the bailiff.

"Please stand. Raise your right hand. Do you promise that the testimony you shall give in the case before this court shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I do." Josie nods

"Please state your first and last name, please."

"Josie Bennett."

"You may be seated."

"Miss Bennett..." Their lawyer approaches the stand "Can you confirm that these were the men who took you from your home the morning of June 20th?"

"Yes, sir." Josie nods

Even though it's her own lawyer talking to her, I can tell she's nervous.

"Can you confirm that these are the men who sexually assaulted you?"

"Yes, sir."

"Did you witness the murders of Lena Morgan and Emma Matthews?"

"No, sir." Josie shakes her head "Both girls were dead before I was abducted."

"No further question, your honor."


	44. Chapter 44

_Cat's POV_

"Bennett, Tyler, and Valentine would like to call Caterina Valentine to the stand."

Josie and Kate have already been questioned, because our lawyer went in alphabetical order, so now it only makes sense for it to be my turn. All Josie had to do was confirm that Mark and Cole were the ones who took us, and raped us. Kate was asked to confirm that they murdered Lena and Emma, which eventually lead to questioning from Mark and Cole's lawyer as well, and eventually determined that Cole had nothing to do with the murders, and the blame fell entirely to Mark. I have no idea what he's going to ask me.

"Please stand. Raise your right hand. Do you promise that the testimony you shall give in the case before this court shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I do."

"Please state your first and last name, please."

"Caterina Valentine."

"Would you mind spelling your first name for the records?"

"C-A-T-E-R-I-N-A."

"Thank you, you may be seated."

I sit down and immediately search for Robbie's face in the crowd of people. I find him, and he gives me a reassuring thumbs up.

I can't look at Mark and Cole, I can't. If I do, I'll have an anxiety attack for sure.

"Miss Valentine, how old are you?" John asks, leaning against the witness stand

"Seventeen." I answer him

"So you're a minor?"

"Yes, sir."

"And you can confirm that you were sexually assaulted by both Marcus and Colton Varney?"

 _Cole grabs on of the items and starts walking over towards me. Terrified, I start pushing myself backwards, scampering away from him as I try to escape. But I end up backing myself up against a wall, and I'm trapped._

 _"You're stuck in here, baby." He chuckles, grabbing my arm_

 _I try to pull away, but his grip is like iron and I can't break away. At least not before he secures a handcuff around my left wrist. He bends down and grabs me, picking me up and throwing me onto the bed. Using one arm, he keeps me pinned down while he uses his free hand to attach the other cuff to a rail on the headboard behind my head._

 _"Stop..." I beg "Please don't do this."_

 _"It's best if you just cooperate." He smirks_

 _He straddles my waist, picking up another set of handcuffs and repeating the process on my other wrist. All I have left to defend myself are my legs, and as long as Cole is sitting on top of me, there's too much weight on top of them for me to utilize them._

 _"It's in your best interest to just let this happen, baby." He says, grabbing a switchblade out of his pocket "There's nothing you can do to stop me, or my brother."_

 _"What...what do you want?" I cry_

 _"I'm just a man..." He shrugs "with needs that need to be satisfied. That's why you and your friends outside are here. To help me satisfy those needs, and the needs of my brother."_

 _He grabs the waistband of my jeans and tugs it upwards, using the knife to cut them off my body. He tosses the scraps of denim to the floor, then begins cutting away at my white Jet Vroom polo shirt I'm still wearing._

 _"Only virgins wear white, you little slut." He shakes his head_

"Yes, sir." I nod

"And you claim that they held you, along with Miss Bennett and Miss Tyler, captive in their basement?"

"Yes, sir." I nod again "They did. Along with Lena Morgan for a period of time, and Emma Matthews before me. They gave us one orange or one banana for breakfast every morning, and one slice of lunch meat folded between one slice of white bread for dinner. There was a toilet and a sink, but no soap or paper towels. They never allowed us to leave, we never saw sunlight."

"That's no way to live, is it?"

"No, sir." I shake my head

"Would you mind telling the jury how much weight you lost while Marcus and Colton were holding you?"

"Thirty pounds." I say "I couldn't eat solid food for the first two weeks after I was rescued, I had to be fed by a feeding tube."

"Here are her hospital discharge papers to prove it." John says, handing part of my medical file over to Judge Perkins "No further questions."

Mark and Cole's lawyer decides he doesn't want to question me, and I'm allowed to return to my seat at the table.

"Would either side like to call any more witnesses?" The judge asks

The lawyers decide no, and they're allowed to give their final statements. There's absolutely no way they're going to walk. Especially Mark, murder is a capitol offense in the state of California. If the jury decides he's guilty, then he could get the death penalty.

"Court will re-adjourn tomorrow at noon after the jury reaches a decision." Judge Perkins announces

I stand up and grab my purse, running to my parents and to Robbie as quickly as I can, I don't want to risk running into either Mark or Cole as they're escorted out.

I run up to Robbie and throw both of my arms around him, and he does the same to me, pulling me close to him. I'm surprised that I don't care, I'm surprised that it doesn't make me anxious. But I think that sitting in the same room as the men who raped me made me feel so anxious, that being held by a man I know loves me and would never even dream of doing what they did makes it better.

"You're so brave..." He tells me "I'm so proud of you."

"We're proud of you too, sweetheart..." My mother rubs my back

"Well it's not over yet..." I sigh "We still have tomorrow."

* * *

Tori, Jade, Beck and Andre come along the next day and sit with Robbie and my parents in the benches since it's Saturday and they don't have school. I'm happy for the support. Even though everyone is assuring me the case is done and over with, I still can't be sure. Part of me is dreading that, as unrealistic as it might be, both Mark and Cole will walk.

I stand at the wooden divider, talking to my friends and family to distract me from the fact that I'm in the same room as Mark and Cole, until the bailiff enters the room and asks us to rise while Judge Perkins enters. He addresses the court and then everyone sits, while the clerk calls the foreperson of the jury to stand.

"Has the jury reached an anonymous verdict?" Judge Perkins asks

"Yes." The foreperson responds "We have."

I reach out and grab one of Kate's hands and one of Josie's. We squeeze each other tight and pray for the outcome to be in our favor.

The clerk takes the verdict from the jury and walks it over to Judge Perkins. He readjusts his glasses on his nose before reading it out loud.

"On the charge of the abduction of minors without consent, the jury finds both Marcus and Colton Varney...guilty." He reads "On the charge of sexual assault of multiple minors, the jury finds Marcus and Colton Varney...guilty. And on the charge of first degree murder of Lena Morgan and Emma Matthews, the jury finds Colton Varney to be...not guilty, and Marcus Varney to be...guilty."

I let out a sigh of relief I didn't even know I had been holding in. I want to stand up and cheer...

We're finally going to be free of those bastards.

"I herby sentence Colton Varney to life in prison without parole, and Marcus Varney to death by lethal injection." Judge Perkins announces "The jury is thanked and excused, court is adjourned."

"We won!" Kate exclaims "We won!"

"We won!" I look at Josie

"Yeah!" She grins

I turn around and immediately see that Robbie has jumped the wooden barrier and is coming towards me.

"We won!" I smile

"You sure did!" He smiles, wrapping me up in a hug "Those men are never going to be able to hurt you or anyone else ever again."


	45. Epilouge

_10 Years Later..._

 _Cat's POV_

Kate, Josie and I each received a settlement from the court case as compensation. No amount of money could ever fix what I went through, what _we_ went through, and it certainly can't bring Emma and Lena back, but it helped us all pay for our treatment, and college when the time came.

Josie gave birth to a little boy the March following the trial, the same day as her seventeenth birthday. She kept her word and gave him up for adoption, to a couple who she knew would love him more than she could. She finished high school, and went on to college to become a teacher. Last we talked she was engaged, and living in Pasadena with her fiancé.

Kate took online courses to get her GED and then went on to graduate college and became a psychologist. She works with victims of sexual assault and abuse move on and come to terms with what had happened to them. She's been dating her boyfriend, Ryan, for about a year and a half now. He's very understanding of her situation and from what she tells me, is just an all around great guy. We still talk often, at least once every two weeks.

As for me, I finished high school and then went on to study social work in college. I got my degree in five years instead of four, not wanting to jeopardize my mental health due to the stress. I continue to see a therapist at least once every two to three weeks, just to be safe, and I'm still on antidepressants. I can move on from what has happened to me, but I can never truly forget.

I work at Hollywood Arts now, in Student Services as one of the school's three social workers. I wanted to help people, but I didn't want to completely cut my love for music and performing out entirely, so good ole' HA seemed to be the perfect fit. I can help people, and I still have the opportunity to help out with musicals, the showcase, and other performances.

Your probably wondering about what happened to Robbie, as you should be. We celebrated our one year together just a few short weeks after the trial, and then shared our first kiss since I had been rescued about three months after that. I didn't expect him to stick around that long, I figured he'd get impatient and leave me. But he stayed, and every day I wake up and I'm incredibly thankful that he did. He studied forensic sciences in college, and now works in the Missing Persons department of the LAPD under Detective...I mean, _Lieutenant_ Vega. He says that if he can help prevent someone from going through what we had to, then it will all be worth it. I couldn't agree more.

We dated through college, and then some time after. He proposed to me on the seven year anniversary of the day that the police rescued Josie, Kate and I, and we married the following May. We were the last ones of our friend group to get married, Tori and Andre were before they were even out of college, and Beck and Jade were within six months of graduating, but we didn't really care. I take extra special time with everything now, and I don't take anything for granted. I know better than that now.

"Are you sure you want to go?" Robbie asks, looking out the window at the prison building

"Of course." I nod "I need this closure."

Today is the day I've been waiting for since that day in the courtroom back in September of my senior year, Marcus Varney is going to be put to death for the crimes he has committed. I know, I think it's ridiculous for them to wait this long too, but all of the technicalities and the processing time, and the appeals that had to go through...today is the day though. I will get my closure. We all will.

"Alright." He nods, unbuckling his seatbelt

I do the same and step out of the car. I slam my passenger door shut then open the backseat to retrieve my eight-month old daughter out of her car seat.

My little angel, Addison Lena Shapiro. We call her Addie. Addison had been Robbie's aunt's name, and she passed away just two months before the baby was born after losing a long-standing fight to breast cancer, and you can guess where her middle name came from. I didn't carry her, but she is mine, Robbie's too. I didn't think I could mentally handle carrying a baby inside of me, given everything that I went through, but we so badly wanted one of our own. So her godmother, Jade, stepped in and offered to be our surrogate.

"Hi smiley baby..." I coo, picking her up out of her car seat and resting her on my hip

I grab the diaper bag off the floor and close the door, joining my husband at the back of the car and taking his hand.

We walk into the prison and begin our way through security. They have us walk through metal detectors, and check the diaper bag and my purse for anything that shouldn't be there. Once we're deemed safe to enter, a guard escorts us through a series of hallways, and down a flight of stairs to what looks like a waiting room full of chairs. There's a two way mirror into a hospital-like looking room on the other side.

"Cat!" Kate exclaims, standing up and walking over to me "So good to see you!"

"Same to you." I hug her "Although, I wish it wasn't under this circumstance."

"Everyone wishes it was under a different circumstance." She sighs "Hi Robbie!"

"Hi Katie." He smiles

"And who is this?" She asks, playing with Rosie's hand

"This is Miss Addison Lena." I smile "We call her Addie..."

"Lena would be flattered..." She assures me

"Hey!" Josie calls from across the room "I want to meet the baby too."

"Here..." I laugh walking over to her "You can hold her if you want."

"Hi there, cutie." Josie grins, taking Addie onto her lap "You look just like your daddy, yes you do!"

"Poor kid." Robbie chuckles "She inherited the weaker genes."

"She's even more adorable because she looks like you." I smile, quickly kissing his cheek "So, how does this whole thing work?"

"You can see him, but he can't see you." The guard tells us

"Speaking of the devil..." Robbie sighs "Looks like they're bringing him in."

Josie hands Addie off to Robbie and she, Kate and I immediately move towards the glass. An older, more weary looking Marcus Varney is escorted into the room by three officers. He's grown a beard, and he's gained weight, but I'd know him anywhere because of what he put me through.

The officers order him to lay down on the gurney in the room, and once he does so, he's strapped to the table, unable to escape. A nurse comes in and starts inserting an IV into each arm. One will actually carry the lethal injection drug, the other is there for back up incase the first one fails. The drug will put him to sleep, then stop his heart.

Robbie comes up behind me and wraps his free arm that isn't being used to support Addie around my waist.

"You okay?" He whispers

I nod, but don't say anything.

Eventually, Kate's boyfriend and Josie's fiancé come over and join us at the window as well, all waiting anxiously for what we came here to see.

"Anything you want to say before we start the IV flow?" One of the guards asks Mark

"No." He says, a smug grin on his face "I don't have anything to apologize for."

"Of course he doesn't." Kate mutters

Once the drug enters his system, it only takes about two minutes for Mark to fall asleep. And then after about another five, the heart rate monitor he's attached to reaches zero and flatlines.

Marcus Varney is dead.

"That's it." Josie says "He's gone, we're free."

"Cole is still alive." I remind her

"But he's in prison for the rest of his life, he's got no chance of getting out."

"Then I guess you're right." I sigh "We're free."

All that time we spent in that basement, suffering and being tortured...ten years, almost eleven at this point, I finally feel free.

* * *

 _ **That's all for this one. Thank you for those of you who read, reviewed, and supported. This story was definitely different from any other story I've ever written, and I was happy to get the chance to step out of my comfort zone a little bit. Thank you all again, I hope you enjoyed.**_

 _ **~XOXO~**_


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